The Audio version of In My Mug, the weekly coffee subscription podcast from Hasbean
Episodes
Sunday Aug 21, 2016
Sunday Aug 21, 2016
This is a coffee grown by the amazing Gillio Francesa Ferraro, a mature guy whom I met on my trip to Costa Rica a couple of years ago. We have a rule at Has Bean that if you're over 40 you can be a character (under 40 and a character just makes you weird). Well, Gillio is the perfect example of a character. The first thing he said to me was that my belly looked as if I ate too much, and that I should lose some weight. I was in the midst of exercising and dieting; his brutal honesty was refreshing, if not a little quirky.
The thing that made me smile was that he was driving an old Jeep that was falling apart (he told me it was from the '60s). The best part was that the engine was a Dorman engine built in Stafford, UK. My father-in-law and two brothers-in-law all work at the factory, and it was amazing to be in a foreign location and see something so linked to home.
You might have looked at the name of this coffee and thought, "oof! Steve that's a bit of a long one!" but I actually cut it down a little from what it could have been, there's only so much space! Costa Rica I'm sure you can guess is the country and then Zarcero is the micro-region/canton of Costa Rica that the coffee comes from. There could then have been Finca La Casa which is the name of the farm and Gillio Francesca Ferraro is, as we've already discussed, the amazing fella that grows the coffee. Yellow honey is the processing method which is a variant of the pulped natural process, then finally Caturra is the varietal of the coffee. Take a deep breath and say it with me now...Costa Rica Finca La Casa Zarcero Gillio Francesca Ferraro Yellow Honey Caturra!
This is not your typical Costa Rican coffee. Forget all that has come before; this is a unique cup. It's a Caturra coffee, and is grown at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level. Gillio has 2 farms in Costa Rica, this one is called Finca La Casa (which just means 'farm at home') and can be found in the Western Valley area of Zarcero. The land around his house is rugged and difficult to farm. Gillio manages to get the very best out of it by working the land every day, even at the age of 83. I hope I'm half as active as he is when I get to that age!
In the cup this is very sweet and very fruity, think raspberries coated in gooey caramel. There’s a delicate satsuma acidity throughout the cup, and it finishes with with a hint of black tea.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: West Valley
- Province: Alajuela
- Micro-region: Zarcero
- Farm: Finca La Casa
- Producer name: Gillio Francesa Ferraro
- Farm size: 2 Hectares
- Altitude: 1,700 m.a.s.l.
- Production: 150 bags/year
- Varietal: Caturra
- Workers: 20 harvest pickers, 4-5 farm workers, 2 mill workers
- Pulping: Penagos technology from Colombia – Fully Washed Mechanical elimination of mucilage
- Drying: 100% “Yellow honey” process on African beds
Sunday Aug 14, 2016
Sunday Aug 14, 2016
We're super happy to be celebrating 6 years of working with Finca Argentina, and, once again, Ale's coffees are tasting amazing!
Two years ago Finca Argentina had a massive leaf rust issue, but it's great to report that the farm has bounced back and, although it's still not perfect as a whole, the farm is on the road to recovery.
The first time we came across Finca Argentina was via a very well presented sample that just landed on my doorstep. It came from someone who had visited the farm and offered to try to help find a buyer for them in the UK. We get lots of these, and we normally give them a try on the cupping table but find they are just not good enough for us to stock. This one was quite different: the quality was amazing. So initially we stocked it, although we knew very little about it.
Since that day, I've been to see Alejandro many times in El Salvador. During the last two visits I stopped at his house with his family and enjoying a day at the beach. Alejandro has also been to see us in Stafford twice. We have worked with him on projects (some projects were successful, others we will brush over); we have also told him what we would like to see from the farm (some ideas he took on board, others he didn't – he's the farmer, after all).
Most importantly, he has become a very very good friend, and he is someone whose coffee I love and company I enjoy. Alejandro took over running the farm from his father a few years ago, having returned to El Salvador after travelling around the world as an investment banker. A very intelligent guy and a very good businessman, he understood the farm needed to step up in work if it was to flourish: lots of work has gone into making this cup the quality one it has become. Part of this work last year was to separate the farm into tablons (the Spanish word for 'plot'). It was separated into eight plots, with seven of them growing coffee.
The coffee is 100% Bourbon, as 70% of plant stock in El Salvador is. This heirloom varietal is one of the reasons why coffee from this country is right up amongst some of the best in the world. They have the perfect climate and conditions for this low yielding, high maintenance strain.
The farm is based in the Apaneca-Ilamtepec mountain range, and it's near the town of Turin in the Ahuachapán department. Sixteen people work on the farm during the non-picking season, maintaining and tending to the plants. This number of workers goes up to 50 people during the picking period. The altitude of the farm is 1,350 metres above sea level.
In the cup this is very much a liquid Terry’s dark chocolate orange. Plenty of dark chocolate and sweet orange with a great mouthfeel and good melty body. There’s cinder toffee and a little funky sultana on the finish.
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain ranges
- Nearest city: Turin, Ahuachapán
- Farm: Finca Argentina
- Owner: Alejandro Martinez
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Processing: Natural
- Workers: 16 full time, rising to 50 during the picking season
- Altitude: 1,300 m.a.s.l.
Sunday Aug 07, 2016
Sunday Aug 07, 2016
Well hello there, children. Uncle Steve has a story to tell you! So sit back, relax and enjoy the story of the Kiriga coffee estate in Kenya. :)
The first coffee bush at Kiriga estate was planted in approximately 1954 by colonial settlers. At about the same time, less than ten kilometres away along the same Kigio road, a young boy (Aloysius Gakunga, son of the chief for the larger Murang'a county) helped his father – Senior Chief Ndungíu Kagori – plant the first coffee seedling in the area. The area was known as Gaitegi village, Muranga Location 1 (Loco One). A love affair with coffee had been born!
Several years went by and the young boy grew up. He was riding his bicycle along Kigio road and, as he rode past the vast – by now well-established – coffee estates, he promised himself that he would one day own one of them.
He realised this dream in 1976.
Sadly the boy, or Mr. A. N. Gakunga, passed away in July 2014. By the time of his death, Mr. Gakunga had passed on the love of coffee, and the mantle of Kiriga coffee estate, to Dr. Brian Ndungíu Gakunga. Brian was his second child, and the eldest son out of his six children. According to Kikuyu cultural naming systems, Brian is named after Mr. Gakungaís' father, who was both his grandfather and a pioneer coffee farmer.
- Dr. Brian Gakunga is a coffee farmer who is well known in Kenyan coffee circles. He is a founding member and a former long-serving Honorary Secretary of the Kenya Coffee Producers Association, which is a national farmer's organization that works to promote the economic and social interests of the coffee farmers through active participation in the national and international arena.
- Brian is also a former Board Member and Chairman of Transitional Exchange Committee (operationally, he was the then-Chairman of Nairobi Coffee Exchange), where over 90% of all of Kenya's coffee is currently sold. He's also currently the Founding Chairman of Africa Coffee Farmers' Network.
- Africa Coffee Farmers' Network represents the interests of coffee farmers, as spelled out in the organisation's core objective of improving the earnings of poor coffee farmers in order to break the vicious cycle of poverty. One way of doing this is by getting direct sales for the farmers.
The Kiriga coffee estate sits between 1,550 and 1,650 metres above sea level. It is approximately five kilometres from Thika town, which is an industrial town in the central province of Kenya. It's four kilometres from Blue Posts hotel, which has the famous Chania and Thika falls. Thika lies 50 kilometres northeast of Nairobi.
Administratively, Kiriga coffee estate is in the Gatanga constituency of Murang'a county, and it's separated from Kiambu county by the Chania river.
Kiriga coffee is Arabica of predominantly SL28 variety (notable for its world-renowned cup quality). The farm has an estimated two hectares of Ruiru 11 variety (which has improved resistance to coffee berry disease and leaf rust); some K7 variety (similar characteristics as SL28, but with better resistance to leaf rust compared to SL28); and a field of the newest Batian variety.
All coffee activities at Kiriga are carried out from the coffee nursery to all the farm operations (pruning, weed control, nutrition, irrigation, basin digging, disease control, infilling, mulching, and planting). Wet mill operations are also carried out on the factory level. Kiriga delivers both parchment coffee and Mbuni (naturals) to the commercial dry mill for milling and grading, in preparation for sale at the coffee auction and for direct sale.
In addition to growing coffee the estate also has, I was told, shoats (sheep and goats), a dairy, and the potential to keep fish. It's all about diversity, and what's more diverse than a 'shoat'?! The estate is also occasionally visited by two hippos, in addition to some bird-life, while also being the home of a family of monkeys.
Kiriga irrigated all its coffee trees – despite the crippling electricity costs involved – during the dry season that happened earlier this year, in order to ensure their high standards were maintained despite the weather.
By the end of last year (2015) the estate changed the cycle of its coffee trees by removing the old heads and growing new heads, which in return gave a higher yield of bold beans with the characteristic 'Kiriga coffee characteristics'. Over 40% of the 'old heads' had to go! This is way above the recommended 25%, and as a result we expect to have decreased yield but increased quality.
At Kiriga they talk about having a 'Kiriga Family'; 30% of the total workforce is made up of resident families who live on the estate, and 50% of those know no other home. The remaining percentage consists of smallholder farmers who commute daily and depend on the estate for survival. There are smallholder farmers who have been part of the family since 1976 and have no desire to work anywhere else, commuting a whopping 10 KM (or more!) daily, past other estates, just to work at Kiriga.
Something really amazing I wanted to tell you about is the Kiriga Welfare Fund. In the past the estate saw its workers get turned away from banks when they tried to acquire loans for dealing with family issues or emergencies. To help his 'Kiriga Family', over the past year Brian has encouraged the workers to set up a welfare group with him as its patron, and Brian has provided money for loaning out to staff according to their most pressing needs.
Brian has also approached a banking institution to see whether they can fund workers to acquire dairy animals on loan and repay from the milk proceeds. Under such an arrangement, 50% of the proceeds would go towards paying for the loan. A market would be readily available and the remaining 50% would be extra income to the workers. This is ongoing and, if successful, it would have the effect of supplementing the workers' wages and greatly improving their quality of life.
During my visit to Kenya last year I was fortunate enough to spend some time chatting with Brian. I even managed to record some of it, too! Make sure to have a listen. :)
Has Blog: An Interview with Brian and Peter from Kiriga (Part 1)
Has Blog: An Interview with Brian and Peter from Kiriga (Part 2)
In the cup expect a lovely, lush and creamy mouthfeel, with a summer fruit kick of peach and apricot.
- Country: Kenya
- Constituency: Gatanga
- County: Muranga
- Nearest town: Thika
- Estate: Kiriga
- Farmer: Dr. Brian Gakunga
- Altitude: 1,550–1,650 m.a.s.l.
- Processing method: Washed
Sunday Jul 31, 2016
Sunday Jul 31, 2016
OK so this coffee has a big long name but it's all important information, we should break it down...
Costa Rica (I'm guessing you worked this bit out!) is the country it's from. Don Mayo is the name of the micro mill where the coffee is milled and processed. Finca Bella Vista is the farm that the coffee was grown on. Yellow Honey is the processing method (if you want to learn a little more about processing be sure to check out our processing videos) and Caturra is the varietal of coffee bean (more information about Caturra available in our varietal archive) See I told you it was all important stuff!
Finca Bella Vista is located at an altitude of 1,900 metres above sea level in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica and I first came across this coffee on my visit to the country in February 2011, I knew it was a coffee for people like me. The farm is very close to the Don Mayo mill and is owned by Hector Bonilla and his family.
This coffee is a coffee with a pedigree, winning the 2009 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence competition, and is one of the most highly regarded coffees in the Tarrazú region. There was a time when coffees from the Tarrazú region would fetch a high price on just the name alone. It's a super interesting coffee, but the quality over the past ten years or so has seen the coffee plummet whilst other regions (I'm thinking Naranjo and Central as ones that stand out) have raised their game. This particular coffee from Tarrazú is of a small minority that seems to be bucking the general trend and working hard to make the coffee as good as it can be. This coffee gives me huge hope for the future of Tarrazú.
The farm is an amazing example of how professional a farm and mill should be. Everything at the mill is impeccably clean, tidy and organised to the point of obsession. I think when it comes to running a good farm and mill it's okay to be obsessive about what you're doing. It's little things like hats for the staff working in the mill, labels on the lots that are clear and readable; they're all very small and tiny things, yet things that make the difference in quality.
This is the fifth (!) year that we've had this coffee after I originally found it while cupping around 250 blind samples in three days from a whole heap of farms. Some were just different days' pickings, some were different varietals and processes.
In the cup this is (for me) a glass of orange juice! It has both the texture and sweetness of orange juice alongside a really nice mouthfeel. That sweetness turns into a golden sugar sweetness as each sip progresses, finishing with just the gentlest touch of apple.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: Tarrazú
- City: Llano Bonito de León Cortes
- Farm: Finca Bella Vista
- Micro Mill: Don Mayo
- Farmer: Hector Bonilla
- Altitude: 1,900 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: Caturra
- Processing System: Yellow Honey
Sunday Jul 24, 2016
Sunday Jul 24, 2016
I love a family link in coffee and this coffee has an awesome one, you know Teodocio Mamani from Canton Uyunense? Well this coffee comes from his son-in-law Cori Gill!
18 de mayo is a municipality of Caranavi (and part of Canton Uyunense), and lots of farms can be called a variation on these names because the land tends not to have a name.
Cori has been inspired and helped by his father-in-law to grow coffee, in an area that's very common to grow coca. In fact there's a coca plantation very near to the farm, as in...next door!
He uses his father-in-law's facilities and expertise to help along the way, all the processing is done on the farm which is unusual for Bolivia, and then taken to the mill in larger lots for drying.
In the cup it’s a buttery affair in both mouthfeel and taste. Sure there’s loads of delicious milk chocolate as we see in our other Bolivians, but here there’s buttermilk and a wonderful creamy mouthfeel with chocolate bitterness on the finish.
- Country: Bolivia
- Region: North Yungas
- City: Caranavi
- Municipality: 18 de Mayo
- Owner: Cori Gill
- Varietal: Caturra
- Processing Method: Washed
- Altitude: 1,600 - 1,650 m.a.s.l.
- Rainfall period: Nov–February
- Average temperature: 8°C ≤ 19°≥ 30°C
- Soil type: clay and shale
Sunday Jul 17, 2016
Sunday Jul 17, 2016
In 2014 I took my first trip to Kenya. My aim was not to meet producers but rather to get an insight into how the market works, and into how we can improve the quality of what we buy from Kenya. This is one project that emerged from the visit.
Much of Kenyan coffee comes from cooperatives, which means it's tough to go to visit a person or build a long-term relationship. That said, it is possible to get something interesting going and to work on projects together by speaking with the leaders of the co-ops and washing stations.
The Chinga mill is located near to the town of Othaya just east of the Chinga Dam. It's approximately 5 KM southwest of the town, and is in the Nyeri county part of Kenya.
The mill has some 783 members (587 male and 195 female), and each member only owns a small piece of land of an average 0.3 acres. They harvest the coffee themselves and then sell it to the mill, where it is processed and sent to the government auction.
The 'project' part of this coffee was that we asked the growers if they would naturally process a batch for us. They kindly agreed to do so, as long as we promised to buy it regardless of the final cup.
So it's a small lot in order to make sure that we didn't mess up. We also spread the risk with two coffee lots of different qualities; this is a NH that we have here, being screen 15 or above. They thought I was crazy because only the poor quality coffee in Kenya gets naturally processed, and they couldn't understand why I wanted only the best-quality coffee processed in this way. But they did it, and luckily for us it worked out better than we could have hoped.
In the cup expect the unexpected. There's a thread of blackcurrants all the way through, like you would expect from a Kenyan, but with a lovely big body and a liquorice flavour that reminds me of Pontefract cakes, whilst remaining incredibly clean throughout.
- Country: Kenya
- Province: Nyeri
- District: Othaya
- Affiliated to: Chinga Farmers Cooperative Society
- Processing: Natural
- Average rainfall: 1,200–1,500mm
- Altitude: 1,795 m.a.s.l.
- Drying method: sun
- Harvest method: hand picked
- Coordinates: 0°34'45.4"S 36°55'35.2"E
- Soil: rich volcanic loam
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
The first time we came across Finca Argentina was via a very well presented sample that just landed on my doorstep. It came from someone who had visited the farm and offered to try to help find a buyer for them in the UK. We get lots of these and normally give them a try on the cupping table, but find they are just not tasty or delicious enough for us to stock. This one was quite different: the quality was amazing. So initially we stocked it, although we knew very little about it. Since that day, I've been to see Alejandro many times in El Salvador, the last two times stopping at his house with his family and enjoying a day at the beach. Alejandro has also been to see us in Stafford twice. We have worked with him on projects (some successful, others we will brush over); we have also told him what we would like to see from the farm (some he took on board, others he didn't he's the farmer after all).
Most importantly, Ale has become a very very good friend, and someone whose coffee I love and company I enjoy. He took over running the farm from his father a few years ago, having returned to El Salvador after travelling around the world as an investment banker. A very intelligent guy and a very good businessman, he understood the farm needed to step up in work if it was to flourish: lots of work has gone into making this cup the quality one it has become. Part of this work last year was to separate the farm into tablons (the Spanish word for plot). It was separated into 8 plots, with 7 of them growing coffee.
This coffee comes from the highest part of the farm called San Jorge, which is about 3 manzanas in size and ranges from 1,300 to 1,350 metres above sea level, it's a very hilly part of the farm so is difficult to pick.
Historically, the Owner's Selection coffee came from San Jorge and Alejandro told me his grandfather used to reserve some coffee for his personal enjoyment, I find it interesting as from all the farms his grandfather used to own (over 250 manzanas of farm!) he picked San Jorge for the coffee he wanted to drink himself.
The coffee is 100% Bourbon, as 70% of plant stock in El Salvador is. This heirloom varietal is one of the reasons why coffee from this country is right up amongst some of the best in the world. They have the perfect climate and conditions for this low yielding, high maintenance strain.
The farm is based in the Apaneca-Ilamtepec mountain range near to the town of Turin in the Ahuachapan dept. During the non-picking season 16 people work on the farm, maintaining and tending to the plants. During the picking period this goes up to 50 people. The altitude of the farm is 1350m. The coffee is a washed process coffee, and is sun dried on patios.
In the cup expect huge milk chocolate, mixed with sweet caramel, and a delicate acidity of white grape and orange that lingers in a delicious aftertaste. A very easy drinking coffee any time of the day.
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain ranges
- Nearest City: Turin, Ahuachapan
- Farm: Finca Argentina
- Owner: Alejandro Martinez
- Tablon: San Jorge
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Processing: Fully washed and sun dried
- Workers: 16 full time rising to 50 during the picking season
- Altitude: 1,350 m.a.s.l.
Sunday Jul 03, 2016
Sunday Jul 03, 2016
This coffee comes from a farm that's actually 2 farms, but the 2 farms exist as 1, but do produce coffee independently, exciting huh?
Overall the farm is called Finca "Sumava de Lourdes" Lourdes de Naranjo and is located between 1,670 and 1,790 metres above sea level in Lourdes de Naranjo of the Western Valley of Costa Rica. The farm is made up of 2 farms called Finca "Monte Llano Bonito" which has 9 plots of land, and Finca "Monte Lourdes" which has 6 plots of land.
On the farm there are 10 permanent workers who live on the farm in a custom built workers camp, all receive accommodation as part of their employment.
Finca "Sumava de Lourdes" Lourdes de Naranjo adheres to strict agronomical practices and ensure the minimum use of herbicides and pesticides. They use MM's (Mountain Microorganisms) and minerals from natural origins as much as they can for their farming.
It's a farm that enjoys growing many different varietals, if you wandered around the farm you'd see Pacamara, Mokka, SL 28, Geisha, Caturra and Villa Sarchi.
In the cup this starts out as dark chocolate and caramel, with a creamy body, but finishes on a crispwhite grape acidity with a deliciously refreshing apple aftertaste.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Location: Lourdes de Naranjo, Western Valley
- Farm: Finca Sumava de Lourdes
- Sub-farms: Finca Monte Llano Bonito & Finca Monte Lourdes
- Altitude: 1,670 - 1,790 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: Villa Sarchi
- Processing System: Yellow Honey
Sunday Jun 26, 2016
Sunday Jun 26, 2016
This washed Yirgacheffe shows the diversity of this amazing region which holds some of the oldest plant stock in the world.
Buying from Ethiopia continues to be a challenge for us, but the cupping table continues to show us some amazing coffees. However, buying through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange continues to be difficult if you require some traceability or back story with the coffees, you have to become a detective...good job I'm becoming quite good at spotting the clues!
This coffee comes from around 600 smallholders who have approximately 2 hectares of land each and hand pick the cherries, and is grown at around 1,850 - 1,950 metres above sea level. These small holders then sell the freshly picked cherries to the Chelelektu mill where they are graded, sorted, depulped and then fermented underwater for between 36 - 48 hours, depending on temperature, humidity and other factors. Ethiopian fermentation times are generally longer than other African countries, as temperatures are generally cooler in the highlands of Ethiopia, due to Ethiopia’s more northerly latitudes.
Parchment is then sorted in washing channels, and placed onto raised African drying tables. The drying period generally lasts for up to 2 weeks, although standard drying is 7-10 days, until moisture level reaches 12% or lower.
In the cup this is very similar to last year; lemon with black tea and a wonderful floral edge, a super classic Yirgacheffe.
- Country: Ethiopia
- Region: Yirgacheffe
- Area: Kochere Zone
- Nearest Town: Chelelektu
- Mill: Chelelektu
- Varietal: Wild
- Processing: Fully Washed dried on raised beds
- Altitude: 1,850 - 1,950 m.a.s.l.
- Producers: 650 farmers – smallholders with approx. 2 hectares each
- Soil: pH 5.2 – 6.2, red brown, depth of over 1.5m
- Rainfall: 1910 mm per year, 8 months rainy, 3-4 months dry
Sunday Jun 19, 2016
Sunday Jun 19, 2016
Due to the complications within the Bolivian coffee industry many of the smaller farms we have worked with in the past are no longer producing coffee. Whilst this has created some challenges for us, it has had a much more significant impact on our exporting partners Agricafe who have been working with these growers for many years. As a result they have decided to begin farming themselves, in an effort to demonstrate what can be achieved with the application of more modern techniques and a scientific farming approach.
Agricafe now manage seven farms and these are collectively known as the Buena Vista Project, Finca Don Carlos is the second farm of the project and was planted in Caranavi in 2014.
The farm is named in honour of Don Carlos, the oldest and most unconditionally awesome employee of Agricafe. He was there at the start of the speciality trend and together with Pedro helped to build the wet mill in Caranavi. To show their gratitude for all his good work the company decided to give him partnership of the farm.
Finca Don Carlos is a very unique farm planted with all the care and dedication of Don Carlos himself. The farm sits at an altitude of between 1,450 and 1,650 metres above sea level, and is located in Caranavi which is the capital of the Caranavi Province in the Yungas region of Bolivia.
In the cup expect a lovely silky milk chocolate, with a note of hazelnut. The acidity all comes at the end as delicious rhubarb, but more rhubarb and custard sweets than a stick of rhubarb.
- Country: Bolivia
- Farm: Finca Don Carlos
- Varietal: Caturra
- Altitude: 1,450 – 1,650 m.a.s.l.
- Processing method: Washed
- Washing: Manual
- Fermentation: Dry
- Drying: Stationary Dryer
Monday Jun 13, 2016
Monday Jun 13, 2016
An exclusive coffee for subscribers and the lovely people at Takk in Manchester.
In the cup you'll find chocolate and hazelnut alongside a hint of dark cherry, with a little cinnamon on the finish.
- Country: Bolivia
- Colony: Illimani & Villa Rosario
- Varietals: Caturra and Catuai
- Altitude: 1,500 – 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Processing method: Washed
- Washing: Mechanical
- Fermentation: Wet
- Fermentation time: 17 hours, 20 minutes
- Drying: Mechanical Dryer
- Drying Time: 45 hours
- Processed At: Buena Vista Mill
Monday Jun 06, 2016
Monday Jun 06, 2016
Sunday May 29, 2016
Sunday May 29, 2016
So an old favourite returns in this Costa Rican Licho: it's a coffee that we first bought from a Cup of Excellence auction many, many years ago in 2007, where it finished 4th. This year we welcome Licho back for the eighth time and I'm super proud to offer it.
Licho is a coffee that I feel shows our development as a roaster over the years. First we bought this coffee in the Cup of Excellence program (a great way to meet a grower), then we bought it from an import broker; they helped us bring in this coffee because we are a small coffee buyer. Then we bought directly from them. Then, two years ago, I went out to the farm and did the deal on the farm with the brothers. I love the fact that last year I walked onto the farm after cupping a particular lot in the exporter's office, asked how much they wanted, and there was a short conference. They came back and told me, then we shook hands. Then we got back into the 4x4 and drove away. This year we agreed a European-exclusive deal with them for this coffee, continuing the close work we have with them.
We also agreed a price going forwards that is higher than last year's price, and we agreed to take an amount that's higher than ever before to prove how wedded we are to this coffee.
Grown by the Aguilera brothers in the region of Naranjo, in the volcanic Northern Cordiles corridor of the Western Valley, this coffee is cultivated at an altitude of 1500 metres above sea level. The varietal is carefully-selected Villa Sarchi with some Caturra (around 30%).
This coffee is honey processed, which is like the pulped natural method, so the fruit is removed from the seed of the coffee bush and left to dry. The main difference is that there is no water involved when the cherry is removed, so mucilage sticks to the bean. This can be dangerous, but it's necessary in these parts of Costa Rica where water is limited: in this area of Naranjo water is a precious commodity, so this method suits the location very well.
The coffee ends up clustering whilst drying because there is so much mucilage. So the coffee either needs to be turned regularly to stop this happening, or it has to be broken up. Over-fermentation can happen at this stage and you can end up with a not-so-good cup, but the Aguilera brothers are well-versed in this method and are some of the most skilled in Costa Rica.
In the cup this coffee is delicious and has become one of our most popular staple coffees year after year. On the front-end there's milk chocolate, then raspberry pavlova and a white sugar sweetness. Something that I'll always love about this coffee is the massive mouthfeel it has, melted milk chocolate all the way. It's smooth, it's creamy, it's fruity, it's sweet...it's super awesome!
- Country: Costa Rica
- Farm: Finca de Licho
- Farmer: Aguilera Family
- City: Naranjo
- Region: Alajuela
- Farm Size: 28.00 Hectares
- Coffee growing area: 9.10 Hectares
- Altitude: 1,500 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Villa Sarchí 70% and Caturra 30%
- Processing System: Yellow Honey Coffee (Pulped Natural)
Monday May 23, 2016
Monday May 23, 2016
The Kieni Wet Mill is located in Nyeri in the central highlands of Kenya at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level and is run by the Mugaga Farmers' Cooperative Society.
Nyeri County has cool temperatures and fertile central highlands, lying between the eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) mountain range, which forms part of the eastern end of the Great Rift valley and the western slopes of Mt. Kenya. Nyeri town (county headquarters) acts as a destination for those visiting Aberdare National Park and Mt. Kenya. It is in Nyeri county, at the Treetops Hotel, (a rustic treehouse hotel) where the young Elizabeth went upstairs a princess and came down in the morning as Queen of England. Her father, King George VI, died on 5 February 1952, the night she spent at Treetops while on honeymoon.
Most of the coffee beans from Nyeri develop and mature slowly, producing extra hard beans. This quality is also evident in the cup. As a result, Nyeri is traditionally known as the heart of Kenya’s black gold coffee.
The coffee is mainly grown on the slopes and the upper plateau where most of the homes are located. The farms are demarcated into small family plots where each individual family looks after their own coffee.
The coffee is wet processed. It's pulped, fermented, washed and then dried slowly over 2- 3 weeks, while the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%. The coffee is then delivered to the dry mill.
In the cup expect a super different Kenyan that's been shaken up with a Tiki twist. First thing you'll get is the huge mouthfeel. Then there's a big hit of juicy tropical fruit, lemons and oranges which finishes with a super sweet caramel acidity. A deliciously different Kenyan.
- Country: Kenya
- County: Nyeri
- Mill: Kieni
- Society: Mugaga Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited
- Farmers: 905
- Acreage Farmed: 202 Acres
- Altitude: 1,700 m.a.s.l.
- Coffee Grade: AA
- Flowering Period: March
- Harvest Season: October - December
- Average Annual Rainfall: 1,680mm
- Average Annual Temperature: 12-27°C
- Soil Type: Red volcanic soils that are rich in phosphorus and are well drained
- Processing Method: Wet processing (Washed)
- Drying Process: Dry, milling after the parchment has dried
Monday May 16, 2016
Monday May 16, 2016
The Vieira Ferreira family has specialised in coffee production for three generations and is now headed by Adolfo Vieira Ferreira, whose attention to detail and commitment to producing top class specialty coffee is second to none.
In order to guarantee quality, the farm employs a high number of skilled workers to carry out most of the production process by hand, from soil preparation for planting to hand-picking the ripe cherries. In return, the farm looks after its workers. Permanent workers and their families live on-site and are provided with schooling for their children, professional training and environmental education.
The farm also takes environmental sustainability seriously and abides by all Brazilian environmental protection laws. Its native forests are set aside as protected reserves and are often visited by tourists, school children and ecologists. The farm also regularly plants new trees, particularly around its water sources, in order to maintain the local ecosystem.
Passeio’s coffee is picked by hand only when the cherries reach an advanced stage of ripeness, to avoid processing green beans.
The farm cultivates several different varietals: this Rubi lot, a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Catuaí. This single varietal lot was harvested and processed separately from other lots, to maintain its own distinct characteristics.
In the cup think Kit Kat! Milk chocolate and wafer biscuit alongside cacao with a big body thanks to the natural processing. Have a break, have a Passeio Natural Rubi.
- Country: Brazil
- Region: Minas Gerais
- City: Alfenas
- Farm: Fazenda Passeio
- Owner: Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira
- Varietal: Rubi
- Processing: Natural
- Altitude: 1,100–1,200 metres above sea level
Monday May 09, 2016
Monday May 09, 2016
This is a coffee from a colony in Bolivia that we've not had coffee from since 2012/2013 (Bolivia Taypiplaya Jatun Kollo Mountain for those who remember!) and it's awesome to have something delicious from Taypiplaya back in 2016!
Taypiplaya is quite a small town in the west of Bolivia, 14km from Caranavi it was formed in 1962 and corresponds to the third section of the Municipality of Caranavi. The region has grown coffee since 1975, when coffee growing was promoted by the government and assistance was offered. The colony has a population of only 750 people, of whom 150 are coffee producers (each owning around 2-3 hectares) and so you won't be surprised to hear that coffee is the main product of the area! It's been that way for about the last 10 years and I certainly hope it's going to stay the same : )
Elda Choquehuanca produces coffee with her husband Felix and they source their cherries from the colony of Taypiplaya, every night from midnight to 0400hrs Elda and Felix transport the cherries the local wet mill at Buena Vista which is run by AgriCafe where the coffee is processed for them. AgriCafe manage 7 farms in the area (including La Linda!) and help local farmers to process their coffee when they don't have access to their own wet mill.
In the cup this is like eating a chocolate digestive biscuit with a glass of apple juice! Up front there's a hit of digestive biscuit then the delicious milk chocolate I love tasting in our Bolivians, all finishing off with sweet juicy apple and more milk chocolate in the aftertaste.
- Country: Bolivia
- Region: Caranavi
- Town: Taypiplaya
- Altitude: 1,500 - 1,550 m.a.s.l.
- Producer: Elda Choquehuanca and her husband Felix
- Processing method: Washed
- Varietals: Caturra and Typica
- Washing: Mechanical
- Fermentation: Semi-wet
- Fermentation time: 12 hours, 30 minutes
- Drying method: Drier
- Drying time: 41 hours
Monday May 02, 2016
Monday May 02, 2016
We bought this cup from the cupping table, and sometimes that means we don’t know much about it. First we find out it's really delicious, then the deeper digging begins!
This is a specially selected micro-lot of coffee from the Tolima region of Columbia. It comes from a small growers’ cooperative with only 58 members (this lot was made by just 20 of them); their average farm size is only 4.5 hectares, and collectively they produce approximately 1,000 bags of coffee per year. This is a great example of smallholders working together to produce amazing coffee. Want to know their names so you can thank them personally? Of course you do!
Gilardo Gutirrrez (and his cat), Jose Hernan Quintero, Heiber Hernandez Perez , Nicolas Hernandez, Jose Quiceno, Qscar Gutierrez Ramirez, Luz Dary Montiel, Elver Rincon, Heiber Hernandez Perez, Jose Gustavo Quintero, Jose Ider Zapata Quiñones, Jose Quicens, Didier Ramirez, Jose Gustavo Quintero, Eydi Johana Saldaña, Eydi Johana Saldaña, Alexander Vargas, Jose Onorio Quiceno,Elver Rincon, Elver Rincon, and Jose Qnorio Quiceno 🙌👏😄
Tolima is 1 of 32 departments in Colombia and sits between the big cities of Bogotá (the capital) and Cali. Tolima is a southern department, and the county it's in is called Herrera. Rioblanco is the nearest town to the cooperative. The farm, El Meridiano, is about 79 miles (or 128 km if you prefer) west of Bogotá.
The varietals are Caturra, Colombia and Typica. They are fully washed, and are grown at altitudes from 1,550 m.a.s.l. to 1,900 m.a.s.l.
In the cup expect a boom. Strawberry jam and loads of red fruit sweetness that's mixed and loaded with white sugar. More red fruit, think red acidity (strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant) which finishes with a delicious and long lingering buttery aftertaste.
- Country: Colombia
- State: Tolima
- County: Herrera
- Town: Rioblanco
- Farm: El Meridiano
- Producers' coop: 58 small coffee growers called ASOCEAS (Asociacion de Productores de Café Especial de Alto Saldana)
- Altitude: 1,500 – 1,900 m.a.s.l.
- Varietals: Caturra (70%), Colombia (20%) and Typica (10%)
- Processing method: Washed in micro-mills at each farm
- Drying method: Sun-dried in green-houses and on drying patios
- Shade: 40% shade cover – Plantain, Cambulo, Chachafruto, Guamo
Monday Apr 25, 2016
Monday Apr 25, 2016
This farm and its coffee sparked a massive change in what I thought I knew about coffee. I remember the first time I ever cupped this coffee: time stood still as the cup opened my mind to what great coffee is and can be. Gabriel, the farmer, continues to produce great coffee year on year. We have access to the best of the crop this year – and have had for the last three years – on a European exclusive. This is due to the special relationship we, and our importers, enjoy with Gabriel.
Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has been in the Carvalho Dias family since 1890 and recently celebrated its 109th crop. It is located in São Paolo state, just three miles from the border with Minas Gerais state. It enjoys the typical characteristics of the mountainous Mogiana and Sul de Minas regions, and it's located at an altitude of 1,100–1,250 metres above sea level.
Gabriel de Carvalho Dias is one of Brazil’s leading agronomists. His family owns several farms, and they border each other in this area. With a total area of 417 hectares, Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has a coffee plantation area of 165 hectares. Everything is done manually on this farm since its topography does not allow any kind of mechanisation. The mill is located close to the spa town of Poços de Caldas, which is 45 minutes away from the farm.
The Carvalho Dias family consider social and environmental sustainability to be very important. The farm has a programme of planting native species of trees to maintain a better ecological balance. There is also a school, a club and an official-size soccer field for the employees and workers. There are 47 houses, all with modern facilities. The wastewater is treated in order to avoid polluting the stream that runs across the farm. The farm has a small hydroelectric plant and only buys energy during the peak harvest. Some of the original Bourbon varietal trees are as much as 108 years old.
The beans are harvested on a sheet and prepared by the ‘natural’ process, where cherries are taken and dried in the sun (see here for a more full explanation).
In the cup you'll find walnut and dark chocolate alongside a white sugar sweetness.
- Country: Brazil
- Region: Mogiana (São Paolo)
- City: São Sebastião da Grama
- Farm: Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama
- Processing: Natural
- Varietal: Yellow Bourbon
- Altitude: 1,100 – 1,250 m.a.s.l.
- Owner: Lidolpho de Carvalho Dias and family
Monday Apr 18, 2016
Monday Apr 18, 2016
The owner of the farm is Feliciano Ramos, who is 45 years old and originally from the city of La Paz. His father was a potato and barley producer and Feliciano used to help him in the production and harvesting. In 2002 Feliciano decided to move to Caranavi, which is located in the sub-Andes valley.
Initially Feliciano rented a coffee farm for two years where he began his education in coffee, but also began saving to buy his own farm. After two years, he bought a farm of around 10 hectares. Like many farms in Bolivia his farm doesn't have a name (most other coffees are named after the person that grew them (David Vilca for example)), but it is in the Loayza municipality and so is known as Finca Loayza Feliciano Ramos.
The farm is located on top of a small mountain, looking out towards the high snowy peaks of the Andes. Finca Loayza Feliciano Ramos only had 2 hectares of old coffee plantations, but Feliciano has continued to raise this number whenever he is able to by planting new stock, selecting different varietals according to the terrain.
Feliciano is married to Tomasa Condori and they have 5 children who are all of school age, but they help their parents with the farm after school (imagine that as a chore after school, makes loading the dishwasher seem like a breeze!) Coffee is the only source of money for the family, and so for them it's very important that they continue to produce great coffee.
In the region of Caranavi and the Yungas valleys there is a serious problem of coffee being ripped out and coca leaf planted (which is legal in Bolivia), but this has a big environmental impact on the soil, forests, and the communities. However, coffee is seen as a good alternative to this if good prices can be achieved with it, and it is also much kinder to the environment. With this in mind, Feliciano is in his second year of being organic certified, although we chose not to take the certification.
This coffee is sold as a washed coffee, and I guess it is. Washed coffee is normally placed in a fermentation tank to remove the sticky layer on the outside of the seed after removing the fruit. This coffee has been dry fermented, then it has been through a pulping machine a second time using the scrubber part of the pulper, then finally left to dry like a pulped natural would be, just without most of the mucilage. It's a hybrid process, and I really like the final result.
Times are tough for coffee farmers in Bolivia at the moment and Feliciano's yields are massively down, leaf rust is a huge problem. Feliciano has moved his family and himself off the farm, so his wife can work, and he commutes to the farm. Not because he wants to but because this is the only way he can make it work. I wouldn't be surprised to see Feliciano stop growing coffee in the near future unless something changes. To get great coffee out of Bolivia this year has been much harder than normal, and this has meant paying much more for it, but we think it's absolutely worth every penny.
In the cup it's a very deep and complex coffee, where cherry cola meets key lime pie. Add to this thesweetness coming from a mixture of caramel and dark chocolate that just carries on in the aftertaste. A unique Bolivian.
- Farm: Finca Loayza
- Farmer: Feliciano Ramos Aruquipa
- City: Caranavi
- Region: Franja se los Yungas
- Country: Bolivia
- Farm size: 10.00 Hectares
- Coffee growing area: 8.00 Hectares
- Altitude: 1,635 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Peaberry
- Type of soil: Clay
- Type of shade: orange, mandarin, and Inga (Sinquili) trees
- Processing system: Washed (on-site wet processing, solar drying)
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Monday Apr 11, 2016
Juan Jose Ernesto Menéndez Argüello belongs to the fourth generation of coffee farmers in his family, after the death of his Father in 1995. In 2000 after completing his studies at university he had the opportunity to start working in the coffee industry at J. Hill & Cia, after five years there he left J. Hill & Cia. to begin his second experience at JASAL, both companies gave him the opportunity to meet “Grano de Oro” from another perspective, allowing him to learn the art and passion of cupping, which he says is very important in his life and gives him the opportunity to apply his coffee knowledge and experiences gained through the years. During his time in the coffee world Neto has participated in various events like the Cup of Excellence (National Jury from 2003 to 2011), Q Auction, Q Grader and Star Cupper program organized by SCAA and CQI.
The farm “Las Brumas” is located between 45 to 60 minutes from the City of Santa Ana, with a cultivated area of 60 hectares of coffee yield at a altitude ranging from 1,450 to 1,700 m.a.s.l. that produces around 600 bags of coffee each year, and an area of 35 hectares of virgin mountain at an altitude from 1,700 to 2,000 m.a.s.l.
The farm is located in the Sonsonate Department near the area known as San Blas. Las Brumas has a very rich volcanic soil, deep and very fertile which have been generated by different Ilamatepec volcano eruptions and Izalco to throughout its history. One of the most important elements is the micro climate, it's very misty for most of the year and that's why Neto decided to name the farm Finca Las Brumas, this amazing micro climate is generated when the warm air from the Pacific Ocean collides with the high peaks of the Volcanoes Park (Santa Ana Volcano, Cerro Verde Volcano and Izalco Volcano), by being located between these 3 famous volcanoes in El Salvador this unique micro climate reduces the amount of daylight received by the coffee tree helping to have a very slow photosynthesis, improving the maturation process and this in turn improves some attributes which are closely related to maturity like the aroma, sweetness, acidity and flavor.
In the cup there’s plenty of dark chocolate accompanied by hazelnut, if you close your eyes and think of a dark chocolate Brazil nut you won’t be far off! There’s also a slight hint of green apple acidity on the finish that rounds out a delicious cup.
- Country: El Salvador
- Department: Sonsonate
- Nearest City: Santa Ana
- Farm: Finca Las Brumas
- Farmer: Juan Jose Ernesto Menéndez Argüello
- Altitude: 1,450 - 1,700 m.a.s.l. / 1,700 - 2,000 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Bourbón
- Processing System: Washed
Monday Apr 04, 2016
Monday Apr 04, 2016
I first met Teodocio Mamani on my visit to Bolivia in 2012. Long story short: he's an amazing guy. We got talking about the photo we had of him in a Chelsea shirt, and then of course we started talking football. He had the Chelsea shirt because he played for a local team that played in blue, but I managed to convince him that he needed a shirt from a real team so I sent him a Sunderland shirt. It's amazing to think that was so long ago and this year I'm super happy to welcome this coffee back for its fourth year!
Canton Uyunense is a municipality of Caranavi, and lots of farms can be called a variation on that name. This is a super small lot coming from just 6,000 plants on 2 hectares of land. It's a mixture of Catuai and Typica varietals (this is from the Typica), both red and yellow. Teodocio also has one hectare of land that is natural forest reserve, in which he owns a house where he lives with his wife and two children. He is also planting a new area which we should see start to produce coffee in the next couple of years (and I can't wait!).
This year is the third year that Teodocio has processed the majority of his coffee on the farm, which for me is super exciting. He used a depulper that removes the cherry, then left the cherry to go through a dry fermentation process (aerobic) for 16 hours, and then ran it through the scrubber section of the pulper to remove the final remains of the mucilage. He then transferred the coffee to raised African beds where it dried in around 12 days (depending on local weather conditions).
I was talking to the exporter about Teodocio's picking methods and he was explaining that the family uses a method called Ayne. With this method the most mature fruits are harvested each day, demanding the labour of 8–10 people (who are all family members in this case) to selectively pick, and pick correctly. But because of this he gets more coffee he can sell as specialty, and the cup profile improves too. Teodocio is just as passionate about improving the cup quality as he is about his football!
In the cup this is a really unique coffee, with effervescent blackcurrant (think sherbet) alongside lime zest acidity and an amazing floral finish. Every time I look at this coffee I find different fruit notes, a fruit bowl in a cup.
- Country: Bolivia
- Region: North Yungas
- City: Caranavi
- Farm: Teodocio Mamani
- Varietal: Typica
- Altitude: 1,250 – 1,650 m.a.s.l.
- Processing: Washed (mechanically scrubbed)
- Rainfall period: Nov–February
- Average temperature: 8°C ≤ 19°≥ 30°C
- Soil type: clay and shale
- Other crops grown: citrus fruits (orange, tangerine), avocado
Sunday Mar 27, 2016
Sunday Mar 27, 2016
Five hours' drive towards the coast from Bangalore lies the small town of Suntikoppa (population: 20,000), among the Coorg Hills of southern India. This is the heart of the coffee growing area in Karnataka state, and all around lie small-to-medium sized farms. Located at 600-800 metres above sea level in these fertile hills is Faiz Moosakutty’s Bibi plantation.
The 250 acre plantation has been in the Moosakutty family since 1960, and it is named after Faiz’s mother. Faiz took over in 1990 and has since embarked on replanting the entire estate, aiming to create a model coffee farm. This process is now 98% complete and the Bibi plantation produces some of the region’s finest coffee. Faiz lives on the farm with his wife, Sonia, and their two children – Rihan and Tara.
Faiz does not cut corners and runs his farm in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The coffee is grown in the shade of indigenous silver oaks, jungle figs and rosewood trees, which provide habitat for a vast array of bird and insect life, and also the occasional elephant from the nearby forest!
While the estate is not officially certified organic, no chemical weed killers are used. Instead, weeds are removed by hand so that the cut plants form a natural green compost. Micronutrients, manure and compost produced from the skins of pulped coffee cherries are important and organic fertilisers widely used on the estate.
Some 100 people work on the plantation, around half of whom live on-site. The farm provides free electricity, free housing and free medical assistance. Faiz also offers interest free loans to assist with the education of workers’ children, and pay-back schedules are kept flexible and worked out on a case-by-case basis. As Faiz told us on a recent visit to London, ‘It is a big responsibility – like looking after a family of 100 people!’
In the cup expect bold flavours, big body, and a chewy mouthfeel. There's leather / tobacco to start, but then there’s a sweetness and nuttiness that takes over in the aftertaste, which goes on and on.
- Country: India
- Region: Karnataka State
- Town/City: Sunticoppa
- Farm: Bibi Plantation
- Varietal: Red Catucaí
- Processing: Fully Washed and dried on patio
- Altitude: 600 - 800 metres above sea level
- Owner: Faiz Moosakutty & family
Sunday Mar 20, 2016
Sunday Mar 20, 2016
Back in 1870, Fabio Morán and Etifanio Silva decided to conquer this hostile territory, sowing coffee trees in one of the highest summits of the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. They named the 28 hectares of land Siberia for its chaotic weather conditions along with its difficult accessibility: very apt really. One century later, Rafael Silva inherited the property. It is located at 1,450 metres above sea level.
It is shade-grown only coffee, of which we have two varieties; 75% Bourbon, and 25% Pacamara (this is a 100% Bourbon lot).
The name Rafael Silva might be a familiar one to lovers of El Salvadorian coffee. Rafael and Carmen are the owners of one of my favourite coffees: La Fany. I visited both La Fany and Siberia farms with Rafael and Carmen back in 2007; I stocked this coffee and loved it. But it fell off our radar a little. El Salvador is somewhere we have worked very hard, and we have some amazing friends and coffees, but somehow Siberia farm got lost.
Fast forward to 2012 and the Cup of Excellence. This sample hit our table and we were wowed, really wowed. So much so that we bought it at a crazy price, and this coffee retailed at £12 a bag. You snapped it up. We raved about it and thought it only right to follow up on it. In fact the Siberia farm has been highly decorated; it's been among the Cup of Excellence winners in the years 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2012.
So on my visit to El Salvador, Rafael and Carmen very kindly gave me a day of their time and took me to see their lovely new mill. We cupped some coffees and talked about how we could make sure we had coffee from Siberia farm this year, and also in future.
Siberia farm is located in the Cerro El Aguila canton, between Santa Ana and Chalchuapa, in the region of Santa Ana and the Apaneca-Ilamatepec mountain range. This estate is exactly at the other side of the mountain from the La Fany estate, which we love so much.
In the cup there's plenty of milk chocolate as you'd expect to see from El Salvador and it's accompanied by roasted nuts and what I can only describe as peach cobbler! 1 of the most important parts of this cup is the mouthfeel, it's thick and delicious like the caramel of a millionaires' shortbread.
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Santa Ana
- City: Chalchuapa
- Farm: Siberia
- Farmer: Rafael and Carmen Silva Hoff
- Farm size: 27 hectares
- Coffee growing area: 27 hectares
- Annual production: 35,000 KG
- Workers: 120 during the peak harvest
- Average temperature: 18 degrees centigrade
- Average annual rainfall: 2,500mm
- Altitude: 1,450 m.a.s.l.
- Processing: Honey
- Varietal: Bourbon
Monday Mar 14, 2016
Monday Mar 14, 2016
Introducing a coffee we have seen before, in fact twice we have had then lost, let me take you on a journey.
The story starts back in 2009 when it seemed like we had been searching for a great Colombian coffee forever. This had been much harder than it should have been, with Colombian yields massively down and lots of the coffee being hoovered up by people with big pockets who just need to have a Colombian, regardless of the quality. We found this farm on an offer sheet of an importer we don't usually use, but bought it as it was tasting great and had a great back story too.
We stocked the 2009 Typica crop from this farm and it was only a small lot, but it was so popular and so enjoyed that it was gone in two and a half weeks. We had expected it would last until the new crop was due to arrive, many weeks later. So we stocked a good amount of it last year (and it still flew out the door).
The coffee become a favourite farm. But this year we found out from Camilo that the importer would not be bringing in the coffee and all the hard work, searching, and cupping would be wasted. So cue the music and a flight to Colombia (tagged on to the start of my trip to the World Barista Championships); I flew out to see Camilo and to try to fix this.
We bought directly, but some communication issues and shipment problems meant we lost this farm. It was so sad, and I don't think I ever truly forgot this coffee.
Fast forward to Seattle last year at the World Barista Championships (yes another championships) and I bump into Camillo and a long conversation we decided it was for sure worth another try.
Camilo is one of the leading lights and the you could say a template for future of the Colombian coffee industry. I’ll try and quantify that statement; for years Colombia has had a great reputation, and has achieved great prices (even when markets were low the Colombian differential was always high). But changes in climate and issues with plant diseases (leaf rust is a huge problem in Colombia) have put pressure on yields, and so put pressure on farms to change traditional plant stock for that of more disease resistant strains such as Castillo, Catimor, and Colombia. The problem with this is that these varietals don’t take into account what's important to me: how it tastes.
Camilo is working with varietals purely for their intrinsic taste values and to make the best farm; not just in the region or in Colombia, but the world. He is constantly asking questions, working with interesting irrigation ideas to work against the change in climate, even building a giant greenhouse for an experimental lot of growing coffee under cover.
This crazy approach to growing coffee is nothing new to Camilo; he bought land that Santuario now sits on, before it had any coffee on it at all. The land had previously been grazing ground for cattle. It was barren and in a rather bad way, but it seemed there was potential for great Colombian coffee to be grown. With an altitude of 1,800 - 2,100 metres, low temperatures at night (but not too low), and high temperatures during the day (again not too high), the land had possibilities.
With active agronomy, soil management, and careful varietal selection, this farm is now one of the most amazing coffee experiments I have seen. If I were to build a farm (and one day I hope this will happen), this would be the model I would follow. Camilo has selected Typica and Bourbon as the main crop (80%) and experimental lots of Geisha, Maragogype, and Mocha (20%). You can see by the map below that this farm has been meticulously planned and every piece designed to fit in with each other.
Aguacatillo is a tablon on the farm, and the first time I’ve seen this lot, and the good news is it's delicious.
In the cup this starts out as baker’s chocolate with lots of brown sugar alongside a delicious sweet and juicy lime acidity. A chocolate lime sweet in a cup.
- Country: Colombia
- Region: Cauca
- City: Cali
- Farm: Finca Santuario
- Owner: Camilo Merizald
- Farm Size: 135.4 hectares
- Coffee growing size: 62.9 Hectares
- Tablon: Aquacatillo
- Varietal: Red Typica
- Processing: Washed
- Altitude: This lot 2,050 m.a.s.l. rest of farm (1,890 - 2,010 m.a.s.l.)
Sunday Mar 06, 2016
Sunday Mar 06, 2016
This coffee is a staple, a big favourite and a stunning example of what a very fine coffee from Brazil should be. Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Pulped Natural Yellow Bourbon from the Minas Gerais area is one of my all-time great cups. This coffee has always been fantastic, and it has such amazing memories for me.
This farm and its coffee sparked a massive change in what I thought I knew about coffee. I remember the first time I ever cupped this coffee: time stood still as the cup opened my mind to what great coffee is and can be. Gabriel, the farmer, continues to produce great coffee year on year. We have access to the best of the crop this year – and have had for the last three years – on a European exclusive. This is due to the special relationship we, and our importers, enjoy with Gabriel.
Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has been in the Carvalho Dias family since 1890 and recently celebrated its 109th crop. It is located in São Paolo state, just three miles from the border with Minas Gerais state. It enjoys the typical characteristics of the mountainous Mogiana and Sul de Minas regions, and it's located at an altitude of 1,100–1,250 metres above sea level.
Gabriel de Carvalho Dias is one of Brazil’s leading agronomists. His family owns several farms, and they border each other in this area. With a total area of 417 hectares, Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama has a coffee plantation area of 165 hectares. Everything is done manually on this farm since its topography does not allow any kind of mechanisation. The mill is located close to the spa town of Poços de Caldas, which is 45 minutes away from the farm.
The Carvalho Dias family consider social and environmental sustainability to be very important. The farm has a programme of planting native species of trees to maintain a better ecological balance. There is also a school, a club and an official-size soccer field for the employees and workers. There are 47 houses, all with modern facilities. The waste water is treated in order to avoid polluting the stream that runs across the farm. The farm has a small hydroelectric plant and only buys energy during the peak harvest. Some of the original Bourbon varietal trees are as much as 108 years old.
The beans are harvested on a sheet and prepared by the ‘pulped natural’ process, which separates the greens. The beans receive the maximum possible attention after harvest so that they don't lose any of the body and cup qualities for which this region is famed.
In the cup what really hits you is the outstanding sweetness. There is chocolate, hazelnut and caramel. It's super creamy, with just a little hint of orange on the finish. Is this the perfect espresso? Well, it's an example of how good a single estate coffee can be in the espresso machine. For me, it's close to perfection in a cup.
- Country: Brazil
- Region: Mogiana (São Paolo)
- City: São Sebastião da Grama
- Farm: Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama
- Processing: Pulped Natural
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Altitude: 1,100 – 1,250 m.a.s.l.
- Owner: Lidolpho de Carvalho Dias and family
Monday Feb 29, 2016
Monday Feb 29, 2016
A few years back, on a visit to Guatemala, my good friend Raul Rodas (a name you may recognise from such World Barista Championships at 2012, when he WON!) was really keen for me to visit a farm that he'd been buying from for a couple of years. In Raul I trust, so of course I said 'yes'.
El Limon is located around an hour's drive to the east of Guatemala city, in the small town of Palencia. This farm sits at an altitude of around 1,600 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes ('Beto'), who used to be the mayor of Palencia and has helped build and develop the town.
Palencia is not part of the eight regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of that development. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up-and-coming, as well as those places that have established players.
The farm produces mainly Caturra and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara, too. Ooooh, we like experimentation, don't we?! 'Yes Steve, we do indeed!'
The experimentation done on El Limon is inspired by Beto's motivation. He has really focused on the farm in the last couple of years. He wanted to take more care in every step that they took in the production chain, from picking to processing to shipping, and also in the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair: Beto's siblings, wife, and son all work on the farm alongside him. In fact, his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college for the benefit of the farm.
The dedication and care in each step is reflected in the fact that they have built a new wet mill, so that they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of all the coffee. Previously the mill could only process one lot; now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their parcels.
With this wet mill came another opportunity, which was for neighbours and people within the region of Palencia to bring their coffees and process them at the mill. Again, this is another sign that this is a hotspot for Guatemalan coffee.
Beto was the perfect host when I visited the farm. He welcomed me around the farm and into his home, and he prepared the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big, home-cooked, and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meal was just the ticket and I am sure it saved my life.
Purely as an experiment, Raul and Beto decided they wanted to try doing something different with a coffee. They tinkered with processing methods to see what happened and to see what they could get out of the coffee. When I visited they told me about it, and OF COURSE I tasted the coffee and OF COURSE I bought the coffee!
When farms are processing a coffee, they use a depulping machine that removes the cherry and most of the mucilage. There is a setting on this machine that adjusts how close to the bean it cleans, and therefore how much of the fruit is left behind. The farms Raul works with in Guatemala have, when honey processing, typically used a middle setting (Red Honey). However, Raul wanted to try a Black Honey.
In Costa Rica, where these are most often produced, this would mean leaving all the mucilage and just taking off the fruit skin. However, when they have done Black Honey in Guatemala they have opened the depulper very wide, and some of the cherries have had the skin removed, whilst a few have been left intact. I guess this means it's kind of a hybrid Black Honey x natural process. These were then left on patios for thirteen days, which is about the same time that they use to dry their washed coffees.
You can tell that this is a farm on the up, and a farm on top of their game. When I visited, every question was dispatched with exactly the right answer and every suggestion was listened to and taken on board. In the coming years I think this will be one of the most exciting relationships we have.
In the cup you get the best of both processing worlds colliding. There's Black Forest gateau – made with plenty of cherries – loads of funky fruit, and a little booziness on the finish.
- Country: Guatemala
- Region: Palencia
- Farm: San Patricio El Limon
- Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes
- Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Caturra
- Processing System: Black Honey x Natural Hybrid
Sunday Feb 21, 2016
Sunday Feb 21, 2016
This coffee is from the Kirehe district in the eastern province of Rwanda, which is approximately a four hour drive from the capital city Kigali.
Ripe cherries are delivered to mill, where cherries are graded, sorted, de-pulped (using a three disk NAICOFF pulper) and then double-fermented (twelve hours wet fermentation, and then eighteen hours dry.) The parchment is then soaked in clean water for 24 hours.
Next the parchment is rinsed thoroughly and sorted in washing channels, and it's then placed on shaded pre-drying tables. After three days, the parchment is moved onto raised African drying tables.
The drying period averages twenty days. The coffee is turned by hand at 30 minute intervals to homogenize the drying, and the raised beds allow for air circulation around and under the coffee. The coffee is covered during the hottest parts of the day to avoid over-exposure to sunlight and heat.
The coffee is then transported to Kigali for dry milling, and then transported on via road to the port of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania, where it is exported.
Rwanda is a country that has a troubled past. In the early 1990s, coffee was Rwanda’s most lucrative export with the country exporting 45,000 tonnes of it in 1990. Events in the 1990s, however, decimated Rwanda’s coffee industry. Most importantly, the 1994 genocide claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans, destroying Rwanda’s economy and erasing much of the specialised knowledge needed for the profitable exportation of coffee. Simultaneously, world coffee prices plummeted in the 1990s due to increased worldwide production and consolidation of purchasing by multinational corporations.
The country currently produces less than half the amount of coffee it produced in 1990. However, it makes much higher quality coffee now, and it has been involved in the Cup of Excellence program in recent years, becoming the first African country to do so.
Rwanda’s climate, altitude and high quality Bourbon-variety coffee trees give it the ability to produce high quality coffee for the specialty coffee market. Rwanda's also been helped by foreign aid agencies with how to maximise their efforts in this area.
In the cup expect lots of light! It's a bright cup that made me think of Jif lemon juice – you know the stuff … you squeeze it onto your pancakes alongside a whole load of sugar! There's white grape acidity and a white sugar sweetness too.
- Country: Rwanda
- Region: Eastern Province
- District: Kirehe
- Mill: Migongo Washing Station
- Altitude: 1,500 m.a.s.l.
- Producers: 700 farmers on 1 plantation
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Processing Method: Fully Washed
- Average Temperature: 19.4°C
- Rainfall: 838mm. a year. Wettest month is April with 151mm.
Sunday Feb 14, 2016
Sunday Feb 14, 2016
In Bolivia, coffee production was traditionally concentrated in the region of Los Yungas where lush subtropical vegetation and environmental conditions helped to produce the amazing quality Bolivian coffee that we all know and love.
Caranavi is located north of the department of La Paz city – 150 kilometers from the capital, is the center of Bolivian coffee production. It's fertile soils and altitude gave Bolivia the potential to produce brilliant and unique coffees.
Due to the many complications and challenges within the Bolivian coffee growing industry many of the smaller farms we have worked with in the past are no longer producing coffee. Whilst this has created some challenges for us it has had a much more significant impact on our exporting partners AgriCafe who have been working with these growers for many years. As a result they have decided to begin farming themselves in an effort to demonstrate what can be achieved with the application of more modern techniques and a scientific farming approach.
Agricafe now manage 7 farms, of which La Linda is the first to bear fruit and is known as The Seed Garden for the other farms in the Buena Vista project. Alongside this Red Caturra lot the farm is producing Catuai and Typica lots as well as Java, SL28 and Bourbon which are all new plantings in Bolivia. All the coffee has been picked by a group of seven specifically trained female workers.
The newer varieties will only become available next year but we are incredibly proud to support this project and the producers of Caranavi.
In the cup this coffee creates a wonderful new dark chocolate selection box chocolate for me, a dark chocolate raspberry cream! This is a super clean coffee with a velvety texture and creamy aftertaste.
- Country: Bolivia
- Region: Los Yungas
- Farm: La Linda
- Altitude: 1,400 - 1,450 m.a.s.l.
- Processing Method: Mechanically Washed
- Varietal: Red Caturra
Sunday Feb 07, 2016
Sunday Feb 07, 2016
Finca Mi Tierra is located in the canton of La Montañita, Chalchuapa, Department of Santa Ana in the well known Cordillera Apaneca-Ilamatepeque. Owned by the Gamero Interiano family for over three generations, aware of the demand for specialty coffee in El Salvador, they use only the best agricultural practices for the maintenance of the Finca Mi Tierra, during harvest more than 90 highly qualified individuals are responsible for picking the best beans in addition to the 45 permanent employees who work on the farm.
The average age of the plantations is over 35 years, mainly planted of 85% Red Bourbon , 10% a Tipica and 5% Maragogype. The coffee cherries are delivered immediately after picking to Beneficio Tuxpal , which is transformed with the highest quality standards during wet process selecting only the finest ripe cherries 100% after drying in the sun for approximately 12 days. The coffee stays at rest on parchment for the next 45 days before being threshed and selected to ensure the best preparation and cup profiles.
In the cup expect walnut cake, drizzled in walnut oil, it’s a nut fest. The walnut oil alongside melted dark chocolate make this delicious as a cappuccino, and an amazing espresso. Add to this the stunningsilky and creamy aftertaste, it’s a coffee that's all about texture.
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Cordillera Apaneca Ilamatepeque.
- Location: Canton La Montañita, Chalchuapa, Santa Ana
- Farm: Finca Mi Tierra
- Total Area: 88 Mz (61.53 Ha)
- Coffee Area: 85 Mz (59.44 Ha)
- Varieties on Farm: 85% Bourbon, 10% Tipica and 5% Maragogype.
- Processing Method: Fully Washed
- Agricultural Practices: Conventional.
- Altitude: 1.200 to 1450 meters.
- Average rainfall: 2,000 mm
- Average temperature: 18 ° C.
- Soil: Sandy Loam
- Shade trees: Inga, Cypress, Madre Cacao.
- Annual production: 600 bags of 69 kg.
Sunday Jan 31, 2016
Sunday Jan 31, 2016
This coffee comes from a mill in the Gedeo zone, which is an area that we've been lucky enough to enjoy coffee from before. It's situated about four kilometres west of the town of Yirgacheffe, in the Guji area of Ethiopia. The mill is called Kerbal Aricha, and it's owned by Surafel Birhanu. It's supplied by around 650–750 smallholder farmers (mainly garden growers), who produce around five containers of specialty coffee and around ten containers of commercial-grade coffee per year. The altitude is varied but goes between 1,950 and 2,100 metres above sea level.
The varietals are anyone's guess, but they seem to be mainly made up from Typica and various other heirloom varietals. This is what you get in Ethiopia: lots of small growers with lots of different mutations and variations of plants, and little interest in separating them and finding out what's what. The term 'heirloom' is a strange one and people are starting to question its use as an accurate descriptor for the amazing coffees we're drinking from Ethiopia. Perhaps we should use the term 'wild' instead? That's certainly what Dale Harris thinks.
For processing, ripe cherries are delivered to the mill where they're graded and then placed onto raised drying beds in thin layers. They're turned every 2–3 hours in the first few days to avoid over-fermentation and mold growth. 4–6 weeks later (depending on weather and temperature) the beans are de-hulled, transported to Addis in parchment, and then milled, prior to shipping.
In the cup this coffee is as funky as funky can be. One ticket for a ride on board the funky bus, please! It's loaded with blueberries and has an amazing sparkling acidity. It's a fantastically exciting and different coffee.
- Country: Ethiopia
- District: Yirgacheffe
- Zone: Gedeo
- Mill: Kebel Aricha
- Owner: Surafel Birhanu
- Processing: Sun Dried natural
- Producers: Approx. 650 - 700 smallholder farmers, who have on average 150-200 trees each
- Varietal: Heirloom – Typica and various other indigenous Ethiopian varietals
- Soil: pH 5.2 – 6.2, red brown, depth of over 1.5m
- Altitude: 1,950 - 2,100 m.a.s.l.
- Rainfall: 2,000mm per year (8 months rainy, 3-4 months dry)
- Temperature: 18ºC - 28ºC
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
Sunday Jan 24, 2016
We have had this coffee before. Last time the lot was produced by various smallholder farmers from the small town of Copacabana, which lies about 180 KM from La Paz in the heart of the Caranavi coffee producing region. This time it comes from one individual, called Vincent Paye, who has been working hard to produce great coffee, and who is, in fact, a beacon of hope in this tough growing region.
This is a lush and fertile region. Its steep slopes and valleys provide excellent conditions for growing specialty coffee, as well as supporting a diverse range of native flora and fauna. It has rich volcanic soils and regular rainfall.
The colony of Copacabana has a collection of small farms that are around 5 hectares each (Vincent has 10). The farms range over an altitude of 1,300 to 1,600 metres, and benefit from an average annual temperature of between 15 and 26°C. This lot comes from a farm matching these criteria, and it's at around 1,550 m.a.s.l. These traditional farms use no chemicals or pesticides and are certified organic, although we do not hold an organic certification.
The main harvest runs from May to September, peaking in June and July. The cherries are hand-picked only when fully ripe, and they're then delivered to the central mill, called Buena Vista, where they are fully washed. The cherries are then dried, mechanically this time because of the wet weather, over a 9 day period.
In the cup expect sunshine, yes sunshine yellow, think apricots, think oranges (yes I know oranges are not yellow), think peaches, think yellow. A cinder toffee sweetness that covers the mouth with a huge mouthfeel and delicious and long lasting aftertaste.
- Country: Bolivia
- Region: Caranavi
- Town: Copacabana
- Farm: Vincent Paye
- Altitude: 1,550 m.a.s.l.
- Owner: Vincent Paye
- Varietal: Caturra
- Processing: Full-washed and mechanically dried
Sunday Jan 17, 2016
Sunday Jan 17, 2016
This coffee's farm is located in a region well known for some of the most interesting coffees and also some of the most renowned coffees in Guatemala, Antigua.
It is grown by Alex Illescas, on his his grandfather's farm. His grandfather has owned the farm for just over 50 years, working the land and selling the cherry along as a commodity coffee as they have no mill with which to process their own coffee. The farm is located at 1,400 meters above sea level in Ciudad Vieja.
Alex had an idea that he wants to produce amazing, interesting, and challenging coffee for the specialty market. So with the blessing of his grandfather and help from his uncle, he used the farm to experiment with varietals and processing methods to see what might improve cup quality. This is the result of those experiments. It's dangerous to do something like this, so the lots are small but large enough that this could have caused hardship if something had gone wrong financially. The lucky thing is that in the cup this gamble has really paid off.
They chose the honeying process, as all they needed for that was a pulper and some space to dry the coffee. Alex used his uncle's roof on his home in the town as the drying patio, and between them they took it in turns to keep it turning and moving.
When I visited Alex you could see how excited he was, and how proud he was about the coffee. All the time I was there I was praying the coffee would be as good as the story, and I'm pleased to report, it's even better.
In the cup expect a brilliant mixture of chocolate and fruit, think Cadbury's Caramel + a bowl of green and red apples. There's also some juicy white grape in there and a bright green apple acidity, a very complex and delicious cup.
- Country: Guatemala
- Region: Antigua
- City: Cuidad Vieja
- Farm: Los Jocotales
- Farmer: Alex Illescas
- Altitude: 1,400 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Red Catuai
- Processing System: Honey
Sunday Jan 10, 2016
Sunday Jan 10, 2016
This wonderful farm is in its 5th year with us and we continue to develop this amazing relationship, 1 I am super proud of!
The first time we came across this farm, it came as a very well presented sample that just landed on my doorstep. It came from someone who had visited the farm and offered to try to help find a buyer for them in the UK. We get lots of these and normally give them a try on the cupping table, but find they are just not good enough for us to stock. This one was quite different: the quality was amazing. So initially we stocked it, although we knew very little about it. Since that day, I've been to see Alejandro five times in El Salvador, the last two times stopping at his house with his family and enjoying a day at the beach. Alejandro has also been to see us in Stafford twice. We have worked with him on projects (some successful, others we will brush over); we have also told him what we would like to see from the farm (some he took on board, others he didn't he's the farmer after all).
Most importantly, he has become a very very good friend, and someone whose coffee I love and company I enjoy. Alejandro took over running the farm from his father a few years ago, having returned to El Salvador after travelling around the world as an investment banker. A very intelligent guy and a very good business man, he understood the farm needed to step up in work if it was to flourish: lots of work has gone into making this cup the quality one it has become.
The farm is based in the Apaneca-Ilamtepec mountain range near to the town of Turin in the Ahuachapan dept. During the non-picking season 16 people work on the farm, maintaining and tending to the plants. During the picking period this goes up to 50 people. The altitude of the farm is 1350m. The coffee is a washed process coffee, and is sun dried on patios.
The coffee is a 100% Catimor, a controversial coffee varietal. Catimor is a cross between Timor coffee (resistant to leaf rust a big problem at the moment in Central America) and Caturra coffee. It was created in of all places Portugal in 1959.
It grows and produces fruit very quickly and has a very high yields, pest resistant and leaf rust resistant and will grow at much lower altitudes well in comparison to to many other commercial varietals. Sounds perfect, but problems come in the cup quality. Timor has its feet in the robusta species (hence all these lovely benefits) but robusta is not known for being tasty.
Luckily for us, this is one of the finest examples I have seen of this varietal, and came by with Alejandro wanting to experiment and try different varietals on different parts of the farm, one being catimor.
It's only a very small lot, but a great example of cupping a coffee with your taste buds and not what you think it might taste like. This coffee made me change my opinion of this varietal.
You may wonder why it costs more for the Catimor than it does the Bourbon? Well if the truth was known Alejandro would rather not harvest this tiny lot. It's a pain, it has to be kept separate and processed on its own. It's fiddly and lots of hassle. So I'd like to reward his hard work with a little bonus, and that's what we're doing here, to try what is normally a horrible varietal that's delicious and interesting.
In the cup this is a delicious typical El Salvadorian coffee, smooth creamy milk chocolate. There's also a lovely white grape and green apple character that give the cup another tasty dimension, delicious easy drinking coffee!
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain ranges
- City: Near Turin, Ahuachapan
- Farm: Finca Argentina
- Altitude: 1,300 m.a.s.l.
- Owner: Alejandro Martinez
- Varietal: Catimor
- Processing: Fully Washed and Sun Dried
- Workers: 16 full time rising to 50 during the picking season
Sunday Jan 03, 2016
Sunday Jan 03, 2016
It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas blend now would it?! So for what I'm amazed and impressed to say is the TENTH YEAR here's our Has Beany take on the very best espresso you should be drinking this festive season : )
This blend will only be available for the month of December and is only available as roasted whole beans.
- 40% El Salvador Nejapa Los Vientos Washed
- 30% Kenya Kiriga AA Washed
- 30% Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kebel Aricha Natural
In the cup expect a big body with plenty of cinnamon and black pepper, loads of juicy dark fruits anddark chocolate on the finish.
For those of you with In My Mug subscriptions a bag of this delicious coffee will be with you over Christmas : )
Sunday Dec 27, 2015
Sunday Dec 27, 2015
It wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas blend now would it?! So for what I'm amazed and impressed to say is the TENTH YEAR here's our Has Beany take on the very best filter coffee you should be drinking this festive season : )
This blend will only be available for the month of December and is only available as roasted whole beans.
- 50% Ethiopia Shakiso Washed
- 25% Guatemala Maravilla Washed Bourbon & Caturra
- 25% Costa Rica Monte Brisas SALACA Black Honey Typica
In the cup expect a fruity & floral festive affair: jasmine, coffee flowers and blackcurrant mixed together with purple Opal Fruits all sprinkled with white sugar. Perfect for after Christmas dinner!
For those of you with In My Mug subscriptions a bag of this delicious coffee will be with you over Christmas : )
Sunday Dec 20, 2015
Sunday Dec 20, 2015
The farm was initially acquired by Harry Adams Butter (photo below), the grandfather of Johanna, the current owner. Harry travelled to El Salvador from Dundee, Scotland, at the end of the 1800s. At the beginning of the 1900s he decided to move his home to Berlin (a town in El Salvador, not the German one). He saw an opportunity and decided to buy this farm, which is currently managed by the family's third generation.
This is quite a different area to where most of our El Salvador coffees come from, and it's great to find a coffee we like so much from this area.
When translated, the farm's name means “Scotland”, named after Harry's homeland. The initial 16 acres of inheritance have been increased to 180 acres. Not all of the additional acreage has been exclusively planted with coffee; the varieties planted are mainly Bourbon and Kenya. Lately Pacas and Cuzcatleco have also been planted.
The rest of the property has been left as it was originally; a nice forest, in order to protect the local flora and fauna, as well as the two fountain heads. There are native species of trees in the process of becoming extinct, but more are being planted every year.
Last year we were super lucky to find this farm via the El Salvador Cup of Excellence but this year we've bought from the farm all on our own, exciting!
In the cup this a caramel covered chocolate lime sweet, oodles of thick caramel that give it an amazingmouthfeel accompanied by milk chocolate and an artificial lime sweetness. There's a sweet and delicate acidity in the cup that makes me think of mandarin oranges.
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Usulutan
- City: Berlin
- Farm: Escocia
- Farmer: Johanna Adams Butter
- Farm size: 65 hectares
- Coffee growing area: 46 hectares
- Altitude: 1,200 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Bourbon
- Processing system: Washed
Monday Dec 14, 2015
Monday Dec 14, 2015
I am so pleased to see this coffee back for an amazing FIFTH year! It’s become a big favourite for me, and I know this is also true for many of you out there.
The farm is located in the colony of Bolinda in the North Yungas region of Bolivia, near to the town of Caranavi. The farm is called Finca David Vilca, as it doesn't have a proper name. This is quite common in Bolivia: farms are often named after an individual or the family running them.
David migrated from La Paz to the farm 15 years ago after a career in mining left him with damaged hearing. He bought this 12 hectare farm as security for himself and his family, to make sure they could support themselves. When he took over, he only had one acre planted with coffee (it was of the Criolla varietal). After two years, David was comfortable with coffee farming. He was becoming increasingly interested in it, and so he decided to extend the planting. He now has five acres of coffee (and we have bought the coffee from all of them). He has very little outside help with the farm, except from direct family: his wife helps him greatly.
The varietals on the farm are Caturra, Catuai and Criolla. The farm is under constant improvement. David is now removing much of the Criolla and focusing on Typica and Catuai, for cup quality reasons. This coffee comes from the Caturra parts of the farm.
Last year you might have noticed the price was a little unusual, I've visited David a couple of times now, I thought he was being rude to me by ignoring me, or not responding when I spoke to him. Last time I visited, though, I found out David had damaged his hearing whilst working as a miner before purchasing the farm.
I've visited David a couple of times now. I thought he was being rude to me by ignoring me, or not responding when I spoke to him. Last time I visited, though, I found out David had damaged his hearing whilst working as a miner before purchasing the farm.
In the past the exporter had given David some money to get hearing aids, but he spent the money on satellite TV (for his wife – who hasn’t been in that situation)! So last year we paid for two hearing aids while we were there, so that he could hear again.
We thought that would be the last of it. But when I last visited David didn’t have his hearing aids in. He told us that they were not good while he was picking what to wear, but also that he couldn’t afford the batteries. So we left him with cash for a microphone hearing-device for around his neck, and $200 for batteries. This worked out at 7p per bag for all the coffee we buy from him, and I didn't pick up the tab you lovely people did! So a big THANK YOU from me and also of course from David!
http://www.hasblog.co.uk/the-cost-of-hearing
This year you can also enjoy coffee from David Vilca in a lip balm! Who doesn't like lip balm? You can order separately via the product page http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/single-origin-lip-balm-v2-0 😁
This is a wonderfully sweet cup, as you have come to expect from Bolivia; it has milk chocolate and hints of sweet sweet honey. There's a lot of mouthfeel that makes this a beautifully creamy and velvetycup which leaves you with a delicious aftertaste of caramel.
- Country: Bolivia
- Farm: Finca David Vilca
- Founded: 2001
- Province: Caranavi
- Region: North Yungas
- Farmer: David Vilca
- Altitude: 1,570–1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Hectares of total farm: 7 hectares Hectares of coffee plantation: 5 hectares
- Quantity of coffee plants: 20,000
- Shade: Natural shade by Inga sp. (Sinquili) and others
- Coffee varieties: Caturra, Criolla and Typica
- Processing method: Washed
- Rainfall period: Nov–February
- Average temperature: 8°C ≤ 19°≥ 30°C
- Soil type: Clay and shale-y
- Other crops grown: Citrus fruits (orange and tangerine), and avocado
- Average age of coffee plants: 8 to 12 years old.
- Now renovating plantations with Caturra and Typica.
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Monday Dec 07, 2015
Hello children, Uncle Steve has a story to tell you! Sit back, relax and enjoy the story of the Kiriga Coffee Estate in Kenya. :)
The first coffee bush at Kiriga Estate was planted around 1954 by colonial settlers. At about the same time, less than 10 kilometres away along the same Kigio road, a young boy (Aloysius Gakunga, son of the Chief for the larger Muranga) helped his father, Senior Chief Ndungíu Kagori, plant the first coffee seedling in the area. The area was known as Gaitegi village, Muranga Location1 (Loco One). A love affair with coffee had been born!
Several years later the young boy had grown up. He was riding his bicycle along Kigio Road and as he rode past the vast coffee estates, then well established, he promised himself that he would one day own one of them.
He realized this dream in 1976.
Sadly the boy, or Mr. A. N. Gakunga, passed away in July 2014. By the time of his death Mr. Gakunga had passed on the mantle at Kiriga Coffee Estate, and the love of coffee, to Dr. Brian Ndungíu Gakunga. Brian was his second child, and the eldest son of his six children. According to kikuyu cultural naming systems, Brian is named after Mr. Gakungaís' father, who was his grandfather and Gatangaís' pioneer coffee farmer.
- Dr. Brian Gakunga is a coffee farmer who is well known in Kenyan coffee circles. He is a founding member and a former long-serving Honorary Secretary of the Kenya Coffee Producers Association, a national farmers organization that worked to promote the economic and social interests of the coffee farmers through active participation in the national and international arena.
- Brian is also a former Board Member and Chairman of Transitional Exchange Committee (operationally, the then Chairman of Nairobi Coffee Exchange), where over 90% of all of Kenya's coffee is currently sold, and currently the Founding Chairman of Africa Coffee Farmers Network.
- Africa Coffee Farmers Network represents the interests of coffee farmers, as spelled out in the organisation's core objective of improving the earnings of poor coffee farmers in order to break the vicious cycle of poverty. One way of doing this is by getting direct sales for the farmers.
The Kiriga Coffee Estate sits between 1,550 and 1,650 metres above sea level. It is approximately five kilometres from Thika town, which is an industrial town in the central province of Kenya. It's four kilometres from Blue Posts Hotel, which has the famous Chania and Thika falls. Thika lies 50 kilometres north east of Nairobi.
Administratively, Kiriga Coffee Estate is in Gatanga Constituency of Muranga county and separated from Kiambu county by the Chania river.
Kiriga coffee is Arabica of predominantly SL28 variety (notable for its world-renowned cup quality) with an estimate two hectares of Ruiru 11 variety (improved resistance to coffee berry disease and leaf rust); some K7 variety (similar characteristics as SL28 but with better resistance to leaf rust compared to SL28); and a field of the newest Batian variety.
At Kiriga all coffee activities are carried out from the coffee nursery to all the farm operations (pruning, weed control, nutrition, irrigation, basin digging, disease control, infilling, mulching, planting). Wet mill operations are also carried out on the factory level. Kiriga delivers both parchment coffee and Mbuni (naturals) to the commercial dry mill for milling and grading, in preparation for sale at the coffee auction and in direct sale.
In addition to growing coffee the estate also has, I was told, shoats (sheep and goats), a dairy, and the potential to keep fish. It's all about diversity, and what's more diverse than a 'shoat'?! The estate is also occasionally visited by two hippos, in addition to some bird-life, while also being the home of a family of monkeys.
During the dry season that happened earlier this year Kiriga irrigated all its coffee trees despite the crippling electricity costs involved, to ensure their high standards were maintained despite the weather.
By the end of this year (2015) the estate will change the cycle of its coffee trees by removing the old heads and growing new heads, which in return will give a higher yield of bold beans with the characteristic 'Kiriga coffee characteristics'. Over 40% of the 'old heads' will have to go! This is way above the recommended 25%, and as a result we expect to have decreased yield but increased quality.
At Kiriga they talk about having a 'Kiriga Family'; 30% of the total workforce is made up of resident families who live on the estate, and 50% of those know no other home. The remaining percentage consists of smallholder farmers who commute daily and depend on the estate for survival. There are smallholder farmers who have been part of the family since 1976 and have no desire to work anywhere else, commuting a whopping 10 KM (or more!) daily, past other estates, just to work at Kiriga.
Something really amazing I wanted to tell you about was the Kiriga Welfare Fund. In the past the estate saw its workers get turned away from banks when they tried to acquire loans for dealing with family issues or emergencies. To help his 'Kiriga Family', over the past year Brian has encouraged the workers to set up a welfare group with him as its patron, and Brian has provided money for loaning out to staff according to their most pressing needs.
Brian has also approached a banking institution to see whether they can fund workers to acquire dairy animals on loan and repay from the milk proceeds. Under such an arrangement 50% of the proceeds would go towards paying for the loan. A market would be readily available and the remaining 50% would be extra income to the workers. This is ongoing and if successful it would have the effect of supplementing the workers' wages and greatly improving their quality of life.
During my visit to Kenya last year I was fortunate enough to spend some time chatting with Brian. I even managed to record some of it too! Make sure to have a listen. :)
Has Blog: An Interview with Brian & Peter from Kiriga (Part 1)
Has Blog: An Interview with Brian & Peter from Kiriga (Part 2)
In the cup you can expect fruit, ALL the fruit! Starts off with blackcurrant but a very tart blackcurrant (almost like a blackcurrant sour beer) but then it shifts to more of a white grape / green apple before finishing with a shoulder of gooseberry, a whopping citrus delight.
- Country: Kenya
- Constituency: Gatanga
- County: Muranga
- Nearest Town: Thika
- Estate: Kiriga
- Farmer: Dr. Brian Gakunga
- Altitude: 1,550 - 1,650 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: SL28 AA
- Processing Method: Washed
Sunday Nov 29, 2015
Sunday Nov 29, 2015
A coffee I first fell in love with waaaaaaay back in 2007 makes a super-welcome return to the Has Bean family. Everyone please welcome back FINCA ALASKA!
Finca Alaska is located just one hour from Santa Ana city on the north west slopes of the Santa Ana volcano, which is one of the most amazing coffee growing areas in El Salvador. It is owned by Ernesto Mednez of La Ilusion fame or, as we like to call him, Neto! This is a name you should be familiar with by now, because I think you know how much I love the coffee this amazing man grows. I often get asked what my favourite coffee of all time is and I will never say exactly (although my friends know the true answer), but I always narrow it to three coffees; one of them is definitely from Neto.
This is a coffee that we first saw back in 2007 (check out 2007 Steve and Neto in the main picture!) and I was desperate to have a long-term relationship with the grower. Due to some politics and miscommunication, it slipped through our fingers. The following year we bought coffee from La Ilusion but it always felt like there was a piece of the jigsaw missing. I managed to get my hands on Finca Alaska four years later in 2011, and now another four years later in 2015 I've done it again. I will do my best to not let it be four years until we see Finca Alaska again, I promise!
In the cup you're going to think you've melted down a bar of Galaxy chocolate, super smooth andcreamy and dreamy milk chocolate everywhere! There's also a generous handful of hazelnuts with a delicious soft peach acidity on the finish 🍫🌰🍑
- Country: El Salvador
- Region: Apaneca-Ilamatepec Mountain Range
- Nearest City: Santa Ana
- Farm: Finca Alaska
- Farmer: Juan Jose Ernesto Menéndez Argüello
- Altitude: 1,620 m.a.s.l.
- Farm Size: 3.15 Hectares
- Coffee growing area: 3.15 Hectares
- Variety: Bourbón
- Processing System: Washed & Sun Dried
- Type of Shade: Pepeto peludo, gravileo, cypress, copalchi, etc.
- Average Annual Rainfall: 2,100 mm
- Average Temperature: 18º C
- Type of Soil: Sandy loam
- Fauna: Armadillos, Torogoz, Agouti, snakes, squirrels, orioles, deer, hawks, rabbits.
- GPS Coordinates: Latitude: N 13º 52’ 22.2’’
- Longitude: W 89º 36’ 22.6’’
Sunday Nov 22, 2015
Sunday Nov 22, 2015
This coffee is from the town of Mubuga in the Karongi District in the Western Province of Rwanda, approximately a 3 hour drive from the capital city Kigali.
Processed at the Karongi Washing Station where ripe cherries are delivered to the mill are graded, sorted, de-pulped using Pinalhense pulper (4 MT/hour yield) and then double fermented (12 hours wet and then 18 hours dry.) The parchment is then soaked in clean water for 24 hours.
The parchment is then rinsed thoroughly and sorted in washing channels and then dried on raised beds. The drying period averages 15 days. The coffee is turned by hand at regular intervals and the raised beds allow for air circulation around and under the coffee. During the hottest parts of the day, the coffee is covered to avoid over-exposure to sunlight and heat. The coffee is then transported to Kigali for dry milling and export (road transport to port of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania).
Rwanda is a country that has a troubled past. In the early 1990s, coffee was Rwanda’s most lucrative export with the country exporting 45,000 tonnes of it in 1990. Events in the 1990s, however, decimated Rwanda’s coffee industry. Most importantly, the 1994 genocide claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans, destroying Rwanda’s economy and erasing much of the specialised knowledge needed to export coffee profitably. Simultaneously, world coffee prices plummeted in the 1990s due to increased worldwide production and consolidation of purchasing by multinational corporations.
Rwanda currently produces less than half the amount of coffee it produced in 1990. However, it makes a much higher quality coffee now and has been involved in the Cup of Excellence program in recent years, being the first African country to do so.
Rwanda’s climate, altitude, and high-quality Bourbon-variety coffee trees give it the ability to produce high quality coffee for the specialty coffee market. Rwanda's also been helped by foreign aid agencies on how to maximise their efforts in this area.
In the cup expect something super quaffable, a lovely creamy cup that may very well make you think of a banana milkshake! This is super sweet; think fudge and Dolly Mixtures melted and mixed together. On the finish there's a little pop of spice but that creamy sweet mouthfeel carries on and on.
- Country: Rwanda
- Region: Western Province
- District: Karongi
- Town: Mubuga
- Washing Station: Karongi
- Altitude: 1,788 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Processing Method: Fully Washed
- Average Temperature: 20°C
- Rainfall: 1,218 mm. a year. Wettest month is April with 173mm.
- Soil: Sandy & stoney, water is sourced from an underground spring.
Monday Nov 16, 2015
Monday Nov 16, 2015
Well, well, well...what do we have here? Might it be a world-exclusive coffee only available at Has Bean? I think we might!
This coffee is from a farm we're supporting for the ninth (!) year, and it's one that I am very proud to be working with and linked with; the owner is my very good friend, Stephen Hurst.
I’ll let Stephen Hurst tell you the story of how he came to own ‘Inglaterra':
“Maybe it had always been an idea in the back of my mind... so a couple of years ago when some friends in Brazil mentioned that a small coffee farm was for sale, I had a look.
The farm's name (Fazenda Toca Da Onca) meant ‘hiding place of a small wildcat’. The locals now call the farm ‘Inglaterra’. The previous owners had abandoned Toca Da Onca/Inglaterra; we had to start again, almost from scratch. Some surviving coffee trees were pruned right back and the coffee that you are now drinking is that re-growth from the original, old trees.
Information for the coffee people: the varietals are Icatu, Acaia and Catuai. In future I expect coffee cherry varietals to become as well known as wine grape varietals, and to a much wider audience. The farm is located near the lovely spa town of Pocos De Caldas in the coffee growing heartlands of Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. The farm’s elevation is 950–1300 meters, and it has rich soil. It's on the edge of an ancient caldera/ super volcano whose outline can be seen on satellite images. 50% of the farm is virgin Mata Atlantica forest, and it will stay that way as long as I own it. I am replanting some areas with the help of my local friends Gabriel and Cristiano, without whose assistance this project would never had started”.
Back to me!
We think the Bourbon varietal probably originated on the island of Bourbon, or perhaps in Ethiopia. It's a varietal with many sub-varietals. It's at high risk from pests and diseases and is decidedly average in terms of yield, but the cup profile tends to be anything but average. It hasvery close links to the SL28, Typica and Caturra varietals.In the right environment, because of its low yield, Bourbon tends to produce a very high quality cup (there is evidence that the lower the yield isthe higher the quality will be, becausethe plant can use its energy more efficiently). I don’t think it is a coincidence that my top three coffees of all time have been from the Bourbon varietal. For a little more information about the Bourbon varietal make sure to have a look at the varietal section of our articles here.
In the cup this is like a melted bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk Whole Nut. It's super-balanced and absolutely rammed full of milk chocolate with a nutty hazelnut edge, there's also a silky mouthfeelthat really reminds me of melted milk chocolate.
- Country: Brazil
- Region: Minas Gerias
- City: Poços de Caldas
- Farm: Fazenda Inglaterra
- Farmer: Stephen Hurst
- Farm size: 10 hectares
- Coffee growing area: 5 hectares
- Altitude: 1,200 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: Bourbon
- Processing system: Pulped Natural
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
Sunday Nov 08, 2015
My friend in Guatemala has been buying from these guys for a couple of years now and was very keen for me to go meet them. Located around 1 hour's drive to the east of Guatemala City in the small town of Palencia, this farm sits at an altitude of around 1600 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes who used to be the Mayor of Palencia and has helped to build and develop the town.
Palencia is not part of the 8 regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of this. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up and coming, as well as those established players.
The farm produces mainly Caturra and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara, ooh we do like experimentation!
In fact the experimentation comes from the motivation of “Beto,” who in the last two years has really focused on the farm. He wanted to take more care in every step that they take, from picking to processing to shipping, and also the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair, with his wife and son also working on the farm, along with siblings. In fact his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college, for the benefit of the farm.
The dedication and care in each step is reflected in that they have built up a new wet mill so they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of all the coffee. Previously the mill could just process one lot, now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their parcels.
With this wet mill came another opportunity, which was for neighbours and people within the region of Palencia to bring their coffees and the process them. Again another sign this is a hot spot for Guatemalan coffee.
When I visited the farm Beto was the perfect host, welcoming me around the farm and into his home, and he prepared the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big and home cooked and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meal was just the ticket and I am sure it saved my life.
But more importantly you can tell this is a farm on the up. A farm on top of their game. Every question was dispatched with exactly the right answer, every suggestion was listened to and taken on board, and in the coming years, I think this will be one of the most exciting relationships we have.
In the cup there's plenty of dark chocolate alongside mashed banana, think of a banana sandwichsprinkled with dark chocolate. On the finish there's also a lovely soft waft of sherry.
- Country: Guatemala
- Region: Palencia
- Farm: San Patricio El Limon
- Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes
- Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Bourbon
- Processing System: Natural
Sunday Nov 01, 2015
Sunday Nov 01, 2015
Finca San José is the pride and joy of the Rodríguez family, and is now in the hands of a 4th and 5th generation of coffee producers. The story begins in 1815 when José María Rodriguez and Josefina Rodriguez (Great grandparents) planted the first coffee trees with their own hands.
Through the generations the farm has passed through the hands of many committed farmers like José's son Israel Rodriguez, who was then followed by Jose Maria Rodriguez, who took care of the farm until it came to the most recent owner, Gloria Mercedes Rodriguez Fontán.
Ever the strong woman, Gloria has overcome gender barriers in an industry that has historically been the province of men and personally supervises every step at the farm level. Gloria not only takes care of San José, but together with her siblings' support, she manages five other small farms which collectively add up to 38 hectares.
The mountain slopes of Finca San José are fully shaded by trees that help to maintain and preserve the crop and the surrounding environment. In addition to the trees' diversity, the farm is home to a variety of wild animals and birds, which can be seen in their natural habitat. San José is nested in the north-western slope of an extinct volcanic crater that holds inside it a small lagoon named Nymph Lagoon, due to the abundance of water lilies.
This year San José has 17 full-time workers performing several activities such as shade tree and coffee pruning, vegetative tissue renewing, and weed control. All of this work is done skillfully by hand. Approximately 60 more seasonal workers assist in the harvest process, earning their livelihood from picking and selecting coffee cherries only at the peak of ripeness. The people who harvest coffee have extensive experience and share a commitment of growing a superior quality coffee.
Gloria believes in maintaining highly motivated staff; the farm's permanent workers are receiving almost 10% above the legal wage, while the seasonal workers received almost 50% more during harvest due to the importance of this specific task for the end quality.
One of Gloria’s major blessings is to have Antonio Avelino as her farm manager or “mandador”, as his level of commitment, knowledge, and shared philosophy of quality makes him an integral part of this effort.
At Finca San José, coffee goes through extensive quality control in addition to being grown under standards that support specialty coffee production. The unique micro-climate conditions include an average altitude of 1,500 meters (above sea level), an average temperature of 17° C, rich and loamy clay soil, and the coffee is grown mainly to Bourbon variety. Some other works done to the farm this past year included the 3 foliar fertilizations and 2 soil fertilizations, including one of organic fertilizer named Huisil, based on soil studies to ensure specific requirements. Where possible, workers ply the farm with stem bending or “agobio”, and perform coffee shade pruning to balance sunlight and shade requirements under sustainable levels. They also perform weed control, mainly manually.
One of Gloria’s commitments is to reinvest an important share of the economic benefits from this activity into the farms, impacting the people who toil the fields and maintaining the quality of the production chain from seed to cup.
In the cup expect a chic a cherry cola! (Savage Garden, anyone?) A bucket load of sweetness mixed in with cherry and a sparkling effervescence. But this isn't just any normal cherry cola, it's definitely been working out; thick gloopy mouthfeel, beautiful smooth chocolatey body, and an amazing aftertaste.
- Country: El Salvador
- Departlent: Ahuachapán
- Municipality: Apaneca
- Nearest City: El Saitillal
- Farm: Finca San José
- Owner: Gloria Mercedes Rodriguez Fontán
- Farm Manager: Antonio Avelino
- Type of Shade: Pepeto, inga sp, and other native trees
- Processing Method: Washed
- Varietal: Red Bourbon
- Average Annual Rainfall: 2,100 mm
- Altitude: 1,500 m.a.s.l.
- Average Temperature: 17ºC
- Type of Soil: Clay loam
- Mill & company where lot was processed: Beneficio El Carmen, Agrícola San Agustín, S.A. de C.V.
- Fauna: Armadillo, gray fox, small wildcats, agouti paca, hawks, pocket gopher, magpie, turquoise-browed Motmot, among others.
- GPS Coordinates: Latitude: N 13º 52 52.3 / Longitude: W 89º 48 24.5
Sunday Oct 25, 2015
Sunday Oct 25, 2015
For a long time I struggled to find a Kalosi that I wanted to stock, for over 2 and a half years I tasted so many samples but nothing came close to what I wanted so the struggle continued. Last year that streak was broken and much like busses I waited for so so long then 2 came along at once! And guess what? I've gone and got 2 again this year!
Sulawesi (Celebes) was influenced and controlled by the Netherlands from 1605 until World War II. In 1669 the Dutch East India Company took control of the trade in Sulawesi. The Dutch built Fort Rotterdam in Ujung Pandang (now Makassar) in the mid 1600s. It was not until 1905 that they finally gained control of the whole island, becoming part of the Dutch state colony of the Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch East India Company was in control of coffee production in Indonesia during most of the 1700s, and introduced Arabica Coffee (Typica) to Sulawesi in 1750.
Indonesian coffee has traditionally been processed with the Giling-Basah (or wet-hulled) method, like Sumatran coffee. In 1976 TOARCO, a Japanese-Indonesian joint-venture, introduced the traditional washed process to Sulawesi, similar to that found in Central America.
TOARCO owns the Pedamaran plantation, which is at 900 – 1,250 metres above sea level, and purchases wet-parchment (at 40% moisture) from small producers at 1,200 – 1,800 m.a.s.l. Coffee is driven to Pedamaran plantation immediately and gets dried on patios at their mill facilities. If a producer wants to sell their parchment coffee to TOARCO they have to get certified to TOARCO's standards for selective-picking, storage, transportation, moisture levels, etc. Farmers are issued ID cards that allow them to sell their coffee at various purchasing points in the Tana Toraja region, during the market of the week.
This lot comes from those small producers at the higher altitude areas, rather than the plantation.
Most of the coffee produced in Tana Toraja is S795 variety: it's a Typica hybrid. This proves once again how importantly the variety translates in the cup. Indonesia has a great deal of Catimor and a Robusta-heavy Arabica hybrid, but Tana Toraja has kept high-quality varieties.
In the cup don't expect to find a 'traditional' Kalosi, this one is super clean and loaded with creamy smooth milk chocolate! There's a big huge mouthfeel and soft muted acidity throughout.
- Country: Indonesia
- Region: Sulawesi
- Location: Pango Pango-Perindingan, Tana Toraja
- Altitude: 1,200 – 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Soil type: Volcanic
- Rainfalls in mm/year: 4,700
- Main crop: September - March. Fly crop June - July.
- Picking method: Manual
- Processing method: Washed
- Drying method: Sun-dried at special open-air concrete floors
- Varietal: Typica Peaberry
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
Sunday Oct 18, 2015
We first discovered this farm through the Mierisch auction 'Los Favorties', which is an auction of their finest lots from their nine farms. They sifted through each one of their lots from every farm; all the lots come from various plots on the farms, different harvest days, cultivars, microclimates and, in some cases, different processing methods.
These coffees are truly the best of their production and the best representation in their class. The lot sizes were kept small to make the coffees unique and exclusive.
The San Jose farm was acquired in November 2003. At the time it was completely abandoned, and due to its inaccessibility it's been a work in progress for many, many years. It's up in the chain of mountains that marks the border of Jinotega and surrounds the skirts of Apanas lake at 1,300-1,400 metres above sea level. San Jose overlooks the long-time favourite farm 'Escondida', and that farm can be seen from the very top of San Jose.
This is a Pacamara varietal coffee. Pacamaras are a little crazy on the cupping table. Pacamaras are exciting. I like Pacamaras! I could ramble on about Pacamaras for a while — oh, wait a minute — in fact I did! If you'd like to know more about this fantastic varietal, make sure to have a look at the article I wrote...
It's an incredibly beautiful farm with amazing views that are well worth the off-road trek up the mountain to gain access (even if we did get stuck two times). Dr. Mierisch said that he may build himself a small house on the farm to retire to one day: "overlooking the coffee plants and Lake Apanas in the background sounds like a dream come true".
In the cup it's a real Mojito of a coffee: clean, crisp and refreshing with hints of lime and a slight mintyedge. There's also an extraordinary body that adds a delicious creaminess, an amazing marriage of complexity.
- Country: Nicaragua
- Community: Lipululo
- Departamento: Jinotega
- Farm: San Jose
- Farm Manager: Jesus Antonio Cruz
- Coffee Area: 66 manzanas
- Elevation: 1,250 - 1,400 m.a.s.l.
- Harvest Months: December - March
- Diurnal Temperature Cycle: Avg High 27C, Low 15C
- Varietal: Yellow Pacamara
- Processing Type: Natural
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
Sunday Oct 11, 2015
My friend in Guatemala has been buying from these guys for a couple of years now and was very keen for me to go meet them. Located around 1 hour's drive to the east of Guatemala City in the small town of Palencia, this farm sits at an altitude of around 1600 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes who used to be the Mayor of Palencia and has helped to build and develop the town.
Palencia is not part of the 8 regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of this. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up and coming, as well as those established players.
The farm produces mainly Cattura and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara, ooh we like experimentation!
In fact the experimentation comes from the motivation of “Beto,” who in the last two years has really focused on the farm. He wanted to take more care in every step that they take, from picking to processing to shipping, and also the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair, with his wife and son also working on the farm, along with siblings. In fact his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college, for the benefit of the farm.
The dedication and care in each step is reflected in that they have built up a new wet mill so they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of all the coffee. Previously the mill could just process one lot, now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their parcels.
With this wet mill came another opportunity, which was for neighbours and people within the region of Palencia to bring their coffees and the process them. Again another sign this is a hot spot for Guatemalan coffee.
When I visited the farm Beto was the perfect host, welcoming me around the farm and into his home, and he prepared the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big and home cooked and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meal was just the ticket and I am sure it saved my life.
But more importantly you can tell this is a farm on the up. A farm on top of their game. Every question was dispatched with exactly the right answer, every suggestion was listened to and taken on board, and in the coming years, I think this will be one of the most exciting relationships we have.
This comes from a small and experimental lot of Pacamara. Last year we had some for the first time after the year before Beto had already sold it all, this year I'm super excited to have it back for a second time!
So in the cup this starts off just like the washed Caturra, with big sweet creamy milk chocolate, and a wonderful fresh green apple acidity. The difference comes in the aftertaste, gooseberry and green grape with a big caramel aftertaste.
- Country: Guatemala
- Region: Palencia
- Farm: San Patricio El Limon
- Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes
- Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Pacamara
- Processing System: Washed
Sunday Oct 04, 2015
Sunday Oct 04, 2015
The Kieni Wet Mill is located in Nyeri in the central highlands of Kenya at an altitude of 1,700 metres above sea level and is run by the Mugaga Farmers' Cooperative Society.
Nyeri County has cool temperatures and fertile central highlands, lying between the Eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) Range, which forms part of the Eastern end of the Great Rift Valley, and the Western slopes of Mt. Kenya. Nyeri town (county headquarters) acts as a destination for those visiting Aberdare National Park and Mt. Kenya. It is in Nyeri County, at the Treetops Hotel, (a rustic tree house hotel) where the young Elizabeth went up a princess and came down in the morning as queen of England. Her father, King George VI, died on 5th February 1952, the night she spent at Treetops while on honeymoon.
Most of the coffee beans from Nyeri develop and mature slowly producing extra hard beans. This quality is also evident in the cup. As a result Nyeri is traditionally known as the heart of Kenya’s black gold coffee.
Coffee is mainly grown on the slopes and the upper plateau where most of the homes are located, the farms are demarcated into small family plots where each individual family looks after their own coffee.
The coffee is wet processed, where the fully ripe cherries are; pulped, fermented, washed then dried slowly over 2- 3 weeks where the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%. The coffee is then delivered to the dry mill.
In the cup expect a super traditional Kenyan that's been shaken up with a Tiki twist. First thing you'll get is the huge creamy mouthfeel, like double cream with some clotted cream added in for fun. Then there's a big hit of juicy tropical fruit which finishes with a super sweet pineapple acidity. A deliciously different Kenyan.
- Country: Kenya
- County: Nyeri
- Mill: Kieni
- Society: Mugaga Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited
- Farmers: 905
- Acreage Farmed: 202 Acres
- Altitude: 1,700 m.a.s.l.
- Varietal: SL28
- Coffee Grade: AA
- Flowering Perioid: March
- Harvest Season: October - December
- Average Annual Rainfall: 1,680mm
- Average Annual Temperature: 12-27°C
- Soil Type: Red volcanic soils that are rich in phosphorus and are well drained
- Processing Method: Wet processing (Washed)
- Drying Process: Dry, milling after the parchment has dried
Sunday Sep 27, 2015
Sunday Sep 27, 2015
The growing region of Yirgacheffe in central-southern Ethiopia is world famous and has some amazing plant stock. This coffee comes from 800 smallholders in the town of Gedeb, which is about 40 km south of Yirgacheffe (pronunciation: Irgachefe) town, heading towards the Kenyan border, at an altitude of around 1,900–2,100 metres above sea level.
Many thousands of bags marked ‘Yirgacheffe’ are sold every year but there may be significant differences between them in terms of cup quality. Selecting by cupping cuts the wheat from the chaff, and this coffee was very special on the cupping table. It has been classified as a 'Q-grade Grade 1 fully washed coffee' by the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange Central Liquoring Unit, which really highlights it as an extra special lot.
The varietal is one we don't often see around these parts. Kurume is an indigenous Ethiopian varietal. It's smaller in size than other Typica/heirloom beans, but it's very sweet in the cup and also gives a very aromatic cup.
Processing-wise, ripe cherries are delivered to the mill where they're graded, sorted, de-pulped and then fermented underwater for between 36–48 hours. The fermentation time varies depending on temperature, humidity and other local factors that the team at the mill know all about. Parchment is sorted in washing channels and then placed onto raised African drying tables made of bamboo tree and mesh wire. The drying period generally lasts for up to 2 weeks or until the moisture level of the coffee reaches 12% or lower.
In the cup it's all about the fruit: loads of apricot up front, which is backed up by buckets of fruit sweetness. The acidity is lower than you might expect from a washed Ethiopian, I'd even go as far as to call it 'soft'. In the finish it's super delicate – there's a real floral edge with hints of jasmine.
- Country: Ethiopia
- Region: Yergacheffe
- Town: Gedeb
- Varietal: Kurume
- Processing: Fully Washed
- Producers: 800 smallholders, with up to 2 hectares each
- Altitude: 1,900 - 2,100 m.a.s.l.
- Soil: Red brown, depth of over 1m.
- Rainfall: 1,980 mm per year, 8 months rainy, 3-4 months dry
- Temperature: Averages 21ºC
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Sunday Sep 20, 2015
Right folks, listen up! Long coffee name right here to please allow me to explain! Costa Rica (I'm guessing you worked this out!) is the country it's from. Don Mayo is the name of the micro mill where the coffee is milled and processed. Finca La Loma is the farm that the coffee was grown on. Yellow Honey is the processing method (if you want to learn a little more about processing be sure to check out our processing videos) and Caturra is the varietal of coffee bean (more information about Caturraavailable in our varietal archive) See I told you it was all important stuff!
Finca La Loma is located at an altitude of 1,850–1,900 metres above sea level in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica, and is owned by Hector Bonilla and his family. We first had a chance to enjoy coffee from this farm last year in 2014, and I'm delighted to see it back for a second year. I came across it on my trip to Costa Rica in January 2013, because we were already working with the Bonilla family on coffee from the neighbouring Finca Bella Vista.
The Don Mayo mill is somewhat of a celebrity in the world of coffee mills, winning a beautiful selection of awards for its coffees, which are bought by many top buyers from around the world and I am (of course) very pleased to be one of them.
In the cup you can expect a big bowl of creamy, melted vanilla ice cream, not only in flavour but also in mouthfeel. When you mix this with its delicate and sweet peachy acidity you get a cup that's all about the mouthfeel: deliciously viscous and full.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: Tarrazú
- City: Llano Bonito de León Cortes
- Farm: Finca La Loma
- Farmer: Hector Bonilla
- Micro Mill: Don Mayo
- Altitude: 1,850 - 1,900 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Caturra
- Processing System: Yellow Honey and sun dried
Sunday Sep 06, 2015
Sunday Sep 06, 2015
This is from my early 2013 trip to Guatemala. We never bought directly from Guatemala before 2 year ago; this has become one of our strongest and amazing relationships.My friend in Guatemala has been buying from these guys for a couple of years now and was very keen for me to go meet them. Located around an hour's drive to the east of Guatemala City in the small town of Palencia, this farm sits at an altitude of around 1600-1800 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes who used to be the Mayor of Palencia and has helped to build and develop the town.
Palencia is not part of the 8 regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of this. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up and coming, as well as those that are established players.
The farm produces mainly Caturra and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara.
In fact the experimentation comes from the motivation of “Beto,” who in the last three years has really focused on the farm. He wanted to take more care in every step they take, from picking to processing to shipping, and also in the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair; his wife and son also work on the farm, along with Beto's siblings. In fact his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college, for the benefit of the farm.
The dedication and care in each step is reflected in the fact that they have built up a new wet mill so they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of the coffee. Previously the mill could just process one lot; now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their own parcels.
This coffee is a Caturra variety comes from one section of the farm called Pie Del Cerro, that nicknamed "Poco inglaterra". Its Beto's favourite part, and has had the best production for many years, and is exclusively for us. Its the higest part of the farm at 1800 masl.
Since beginning to work with Beto he continues to invest in the farm, this year the visit showed us lots of new planting, and a lot of building work around the wet mill, he is also building a QC lab, and new accommodation for people working on the farm, it was a real hive of activity.
Everytime I visit the farm Beto and his family are the perfect hosts, welcoming me around the farm and into his home, and always preparing the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big and home cooked and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meals are just the ticket and I always look forwards to the food, but mainly the company.
So in the cup it starts off as sweet milk chocolate, with a wonderful satsuma orange acidity of the first time we tasted this coffee comes running back, along with a brown sugar sweetness, and a silky mouthfeel.
- Farm: San Patricio El Limon
- Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes
- Region: Palencia
- Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Caturra
- Processing system: Washed